Body Image, Physical Activity
Conditions
Keywords
SDT theory, Gender gap, ED risk
Brief summary
Physical inactivity, maladaptive exercise motives, and body image concerns are highly prevalent among young adult women and are associated with reduced psychological well-being and increased risk for disordered eating. This study protocol describes a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate a multi-component psychoeducational intervention integrating Self-Determination Theory principles with functionality-oriented body image strategies to enhance autonomous motivation for exercise and promote psychological well-being among female university students. Female Health Sciences students aged 18-25 will be randomly allocated (1:1) to an experimental or control group following baseline assessment, and outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, post-intervention, and six-week follow-up. The six-session face-to-face intervention incorporates autonomy-supportive communication, competence-building activities, meaningful rationales, choice provision, and supportive relational climates, combined with functionality-based body image content. The primary outcome is autonomous motivation for exercise (BREQ-3; Relative Autonomy Index), and secondary outcomes include basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration, physical activity levels, positive body image, and eating disorder risk. Linear mixed-effects models will be used under an intention-to-treat approach, and mediation analyses will test whether changes in psychological need satisfaction underlie improvements in motivational quality. The intervention is expected to promote healthier motivational regulation, increase physical activity engagement, strengthen positive body image, and reduce maladaptive exercise drivers. Findings aim to inform scalable, theory-driven preventive strategies for improving health and well-being among young women in university settings.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALExperimental group will receive a face-to-face psychoeducational program grounded in Self-Determination Theory. Control group will no receive any psychoeducational program
Participants in the experimental group will receive a face-to-face psychoeducational program grounded in Self-Determination Theory. The intervention consists of six 60-minute weekly group workshops (up to 15 participants per group). Sessions include autonomy-supportive communication, competence-building activities, functionality-oriented body image content, experiential tasks, and guided reflection. Facilitators are trained professionals in exercise science and psychonutrition who follow a standardized session guide. Intervention fidelity is monitored using session checklists. Workshop content progresses through: Awareness of motivational quality Personal values and self-endorsed goals Competence and flexible planning Functionality-oriented body appreciation Social support and supportive relational climate Maintenance of behavior change and coping with setbacks
Sponsors
Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Due to the nature of the psychoeducational intervention, participants and intervention facilitators cannot be blinded to group allocation. Their awareness of assignment is unavoidable and does not compromise intervention delivery. However, outcome assessment and data analysis will be blinded. All raw datasets will be exported using participant identification codes with group allocation removed. The researcher responsible for data analysis will receive a dataset in which participants are identified only by anonymized numeric codes, and the allocation variable will be masked until all primary analyses have been completed. No member of the enrolment team, facilitators, or participants will have access to the randomization sequence. The independent researcher managing the allocation will not participate in data analysis. This procedure ensures that outcome assessors and data analysts remain fully blinded and cannot infer group assignment during processing, modelling, or interpretation, t
Intervention model description
This study design is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) (1:1 ratio), including an experimental group receiving a multicomponent psychoeducational intervention and a control group. Assessments take place at baseline, post-intervention, and six-week follow-up. The design allows evaluation of intervention effectiveness and examination of changes over time.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Female sex * Age between 18 and 25 years * Enrolled in Health Sciences programs (Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Physiotherapy, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Nursing) at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria * Provision of written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* Current or previous diagnosis of an eating disorder * Failure to complete baseline or post-intervention questionnaires * Identification of an eating disorder after enrollment, which triggers referral according to the well-being protocol
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| RAI continuous score | Assessed at three time points: baseline (Day 0), immediately after the 6-week intervention (post-intervention), and at 6-week follow-up. | Measured using the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-3 (BREQ-3). The Relative Autonomy Index (RAI) was calculated by weighting the six regulation subscales (Amotivation -3, External -2, Introjected -1, Identified +1, Integrated +2, Intrinsic +3) and summing the weighted mean scores. Higher (positive) scores indicate more autonomous forms of motivation, whereas lower (negative) scores reflect more controlled forms of regulation. Because the RAI is computed from mean subscale scores, its theoretical limits depend on the 0-4 response scale and the weighting structure; for typical BREQ-3 scoring, values fall approximately between -12 and +12. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy, competence, relatedness (satisfaction subscales) | Assessed at three time points: baseline (Day 0), immediately after the 6-week intervention (post-intervention), and at 6-week follow-up. | Measured using the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS). This instrument assesses both satisfaction and frustration of the three basic psychological needs, autonomy, competence, and relatedness, within the framework of Self-Determination Theory. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all true) to 5 (completely true). Subscale scores were computed as the mean of the corresponding items, resulting in scores ranging from 1 to 5 for each dimension. Higher scores on the satisfaction subscales indicate greater need satisfaction, whereas higher scores on the frustration subscales reflect greater need frustration. The scale demonstrates a six-factor structure, comprising autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction and frustration dimensions. |
| Weekly MET-minutes | Assessed at three time points: baseline (Day 0), immediately after the 6-week intervention (post-intervention), and at 6-week follow-up. | Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). This instrument evaluates the frequency (days per week) and duration (minutes per day) of walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity physical activity performed during the previous 7 days. Total physical activity was expressed in metabolic equivalent minutes per week (MET-min/week), following the official IPAQ scoring protocol. MET-min/week values were obtained by multiplying the assigned MET coefficient of each activity category by the corresponding minutes and days: walking (3.3 METs), moderate-intensity activity (4.0 METs), and vigorous-intensity activity (8.0 METs), and summing the results across all categories. Total scores range from 0 MET-min/week to theoretically unbounded values, depending on the volume of physical activity accumulated. Higher scores indicate higher levels of physical activity. |
| BAS-2 total score | Assessed at three time points: baseline (Day 0), immediately after the 6-week intervention (post-intervention), and at 6-week follow-up. | Body appreciation was assessed using the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2), a 10-item measure of positive body image. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always). Scores were computed as the mean of all items, resulting in a total score ranging from 1 to 5. Higher scores indicate greater body appreciation, reflecting acceptance, respect, and positive attitudes toward one's body. The BAS-2 has demonstrated strong psychometric properties and a robust unidimensional factor structure across different populations. |
| EAT-26 total score | Assessed at three time points: baseline (Day 0), immediately after the 6-week intervention (post-intervention), and at 6-week follow-up. | Disordered eating attitudes were assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). The instrument consists of 26 items assessing symptoms and concerns characteristic of eating disorders. Items are scored on a 6-point Likert scale, which is recoded into a 4-point scale ranging from 0 to 3 (Always = 3, Usually = 2, Often = 1, and Sometimes/Rarely/Never = 0), following standard scoring procedures. Total scores are obtained by summing all items, resulting in a range from 0 to 78. Higher scores indicate greater eating-related concerns and a higher risk of disordered eating. A total score of 20 or higher is commonly used as a screening cut-off indicating elevated risk and the potential need for further clinical evaluation. |
Contacts
CONTACTPatricia Ruiz-Bravo, PA and Sport Sciences
Outcome results
None listed