1. Impact of a Yoga Intervention on Children’s Body Image
Presenter:
Dr. Tracy L. Tylka
Professor
The Ohio State University

2. Authors Dr. Emma Halliwell1 Ms. Hannah Jarman1 Dr. Tracy Tylka2
Dr. Amy Slater1
1 Centre for Appearance Research
University of the West of England
2The Ohio State University

3. Background

4. Negative Body Image
40 – 50% of 6-12 year-olds experience body dissatisfaction (Smolak, 2011)
Children as young as 6 years old desire a thinner body (Dohnt &Tiggemann, 2006)
Body dissatisfaction during pre-adolescence is prospectively linked to:
increased disordered eating
reduced physical activity
increased negative affect
(Ferreiro, Seoane, & Senra, 2011; Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2006; Stice, Marti, & Durant, 2011)

5. Positive Body Image
In 9-11 year-olds, body appreciation is related to:
lower internalization of societal appearance ideals (girls)
lower body surveillance
higher positive affect
lower negative affect (girls)
(Halliwell et al., 2017)

6. Across a 1-year period, in 12-16 year old girls, body appreciation predicted:
increased intuitive eating
increased physical activity
decreased dieting
decreased alcohol use
decreased cigarette use
(Andrew, Tiggemann, & Clark, 2016)

7. Hence, it is important to find ways to:
prevent and lower negative body image
AND
promote and raise positive body image

8. Existing Interventions
Focus largely on targeting risk factors associated with negative body image in adolescents
Most are sociocultural and dissonance-based interventions
Very few incorporate measures of positive body image or embodiment
The Body Project---Stice and Becker. Target thin-ideal internalization. Focus on media literacy and cognitive dissonance (activities that challenge thin-ideal)

9. Embodying activities are critical to developing and maintaining positive body image
Enhance awareness of body experience
Enhance connectedness to the body
Enhance feelings of competence and importance
Minimize self-objectification
(Cook-Cottone, 2015; Halliwell, 2015; Piran, 2015)
We need to identify effective interventions that promote embodiment in preadolescents

10. What about Yoga? Embodying activity
Combines mind and body practices: physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques
Often incorporates messages promoting body awareness, connection to one’s body, self-acceptance, appreciation of body functionality, and responsiveness to body needs
These are all key concepts of developing and maintaining a positive body image! My favorite part of yoga personally, is the themes of connection

11. Yoga-Based Interventions
Adolescents who participated in a 12-week school-based yoga intervention increased awareness of, and respect for, their bodies (Conboy et al., 2013).
Preadolescent girls who participated in a 10-week yoga intervention reduced body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms and increased social self-concept (Scime & Cook-Cottone, 2008)
Adolescents: 12-week school based yoga intervention increased awareness of and respect for the body
Preadolescent girls who participated in a 10-week yoga intervention reduced body dissatisfaction and bulimia and increased social self-concept (breathing, relaxation, and discussion)

12. Adolescents who participated in a 12-week yoga-based school PE program reduced body surveillance compared to those in traditional PE
Change in body surveillance was inversely related to change in physical self-worth and body appreciation
(Cox et al., 2017)
Adolescents 12-week yoga based school phys ed program reduced body surveillance
Change in body surveillance was inversely related to change in physical self-worth and body appreciation

13. Present Study What about younger children?
We evaluated a 4-week school-based yoga intervention (relative to traditional PE) on preadolescents’ (ages 9-11):
Body appreciation
Body esteem
Body surveillance
Positive and negative affect
What about yoga for younger children?
In the present study, we evaluated a yoga program for younger children. 4-week school based yoga intervention. Control group was a traditional PE class

14. Method

15. Participants 344 children ages 9-11 (M = 9.34, SD = 0.69)
54.4% girls (n = 187)
45.6% boys (n = 157)
Southwest England primary schools
Most were White
Slightly more than half were girls; still a large sample of boys. Randomly assigned to 4 primary schools in SW UK

16. Measures
Body Appreciation Scale-2 for Children (Halliwell et al., 2017)
Appearance subscale of the Body Esteem Scale for Children (Mendelson & White, 1993)
Body Surveillance subscale of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale-Youth (Lindberg, Hyde, & McKinley, 2006)
Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children (Ebesutani et al., 2012)
All evidence reliability and validity with samples of children

17. Collected Feedback on Yoga
“I felt comfortable during the yoga lessons” (comfort)
“I could do the yoga poses I was asked to do in the lessons” (ability)
“I would like to do more yoga lessons” (enjoyment)
Also we collected feedback on the yoga intervention

18. Procedure
Four primary schools were randomly allocated to the intervention or control condition
Measures completed in classrooms, read aloud. Took 20 minutes
Completed at baseline, post-intervention, and 6-week follow-up
Filler items distracted from explicit focus on body image

19. Yoga Intervention 4 sessions of yoga
1 session (40 min) per week
Groups of children
Incorporated simple yoga postures, breathing techniques, and relaxation exercises
Delivered by a qualified female yoga instructor
Replaced regular PE lessons

20. Each Yoga Session…. Breathing exercise Uplifting Story / Theme Asanas
Downdog, Updog, Plank, Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Warrior 3, Warrior 1 to 3 balance, Sun salutations, Tree, Chair pose, Boat, Airplane, Bridge, etc.
Encouraged to enjoy what their bodies could achieve, appreciation
Relaxation exercise (Savasana)
Blowing up like a balloon and deflating
Theme: self-confidence (lion who lost his roar), autonomy and working together as a team (bee who couldn’t find any pollen), acting with integrity and the power of community (cloud boy), it’s what on the inside that counts (mouse and the lion)

21. Results

22. Preliminary Analyses
Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing data points
At baseline, there were no significant differences between the yoga group and the PE group on all body image and affect variables
Randomization produced equivalent groups

23. Impact of Yoga Intervention on Body Image
3 (time) x 2 (condition) x 2 (gender) MANOVA revealed:
Significant main effect of gender
Significant main effect of time
Time x condition was significant
Indicate the significant main effect for gender

24. Follow-up analyses of the significant effects:
Time x condition interaction was significant for body esteem, F(2, 488) = 3.44, p = .03, partial η2 = .01
Time effect for body appreciation, F(2, 496) = 10.22, p < .001, partial η2 = .04
Time effect for body surveillance, F(2, 496) = 17.61, p < .001

25. More specifically….
Body esteem did not change from baseline to post-intervention in the yoga group, but it increased from baseline to follow-up (p < .01)
Body esteem increased from baseline to post-intervention (p < .001) in the PE group, and baseline to follow-up (p < .001)
Time x condition effect

26. Body appreciation increased from baseline to post-intervention (p =
Body appreciation increased from baseline to post-intervention (p = .002) and from baseline to follow-up (p < .001)
Body surveillance decreased from baseline to post-intervention (p < .001) and from baseline to follow-up (p < .001)
For both conditions----time effect

27. Impact of Yoga Intervention on Affect
3 (time) x 2 (condition) x 2 (gender) MANOVA revealed:
Significant main effect of gender
Significant main effect of time
Boys higher in positive affect and lower in negative affect compared to girls

28. More specifically....
Positive affect increased from baseline to post-intervention (p < .001) and from baseline to follow-up (p < .001)
Negative affect decreased (marginally) from baseline to post-intervention (p = .056) and from baseline to follow-up (p = .01)

29. Intervention Feedback
Children reported that they:
Felt comfortable during the lessons (78%)
Could do the yoga poses (90%)
Would like to do more yoga (78%)

30. Discussion

31. Main Findings
Body image and affect improved across both the yoga and the PE groups
Participants evaluated the yoga sessions favorably, with the majority wanting to participate in additional yoga sessions

32. Potential Explanations
4 sessions was not sufficient
4 weeks was not long enough
Embodiment may have been emphasized in the PE group as well
Beneficial effects of yoga may be delayed until later in development
Problems with the yoga program itself
Aspects of the PE group
Yoga may not be particularly effective at this time, but in the context of other research, may be later.

33. Limitations Randomized by school rather than the individual
Sample was predominantly White
State measures were not administered
Lack of control over PE program

34. Thank You!
Namaste