Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26418470›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2015

A Meta-Analytic Review of Stand-Alone Interventions to Improve Body Image.

Jessica M Alleva, Paschal Sheeran, Thomas L Webb, Carolien Martijn, Eleanor Miles

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06332963 (Interoceptive Mechanisms of Body Image Disturbance in Anorexia Nervosa), which is not on this map. Cited by 90 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
90citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06332963 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Interoceptive Mechanisms of Body Image Disturbance in Anorexia Nervosa

TypeinterventionalSponsorLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Inc.Ran2024 to 2028Enrolled102ConditionsAnorexia Nervosa, Body Image Disturbance, InteroceptionArmsFloatation-REST, IFT, EFT
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

90 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Body image, self-esteem, emotion regulation, and eating disorders in adults: a systematic review.Neuropsychiatrie : Klinik, Diagnostik, Therapie und Rehabilitation : Organ der Gesellschaft Osterreichischer Nervenarzte und Psychiater · 2025
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  11. Mechanism underlying a brief cognitive behavioral treatment for head and neck cancer survivors with body image distress.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023
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  15. Effect of mind and body education on quality of life among young breast cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022
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  19. An interactive training programme to treat body image disturbance.British journal of health psychology · 2017
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30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jessica M AllevaDepartment of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Paschal SheeranDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Thomas L WebbDepartment of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
Carolien MartijnDepartment of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Eleanor MilesSchool of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, England.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveNumerous stand-alone interventions to improve body image have been developed. The present review used meta-analysis to estimate the effectiveness of such interventions, and to identify the specific change techniques that lead to improvement in body image.

methodsThe inclusion criteria were that (a) the intervention was stand-alone (i.e., solely focused on improving body image), (b) a control group was used, (c) participants were randomly assigned to conditions, and (d) at least one pretest and one posttest measure of body image was taken. Effect sizes were meta-analysed and moderator analyses were conducted. A taxonomy of 48 change techniques used in interventions targeted at body image was developed; all interventions were coded using this taxonomy.

resultsThe literature search identified 62 tests of interventions (N = 3,846). Interventions produced a small-to-medium improvement in body image (d+ = 0.38), a small-to-medium reduction in beauty ideal internalisation (d+ = -0.37), and a large reduction in social comparison tendencies (d+ = -0.72). However, the effect size for body image was inflated by bias both within and across studies, and was reliable but of small magnitude once corrections for bias were applied. Effect sizes for the other outcomes were no longer reliable once corrections for bias were applied. Several features of the sample, intervention, and methodology moderated intervention effects. Twelve change techniques were associated with improvements in body image, and three techniques were contra-indicated.

conclusionsThe findings show that interventions engender only small improvements in body image, and underline the need for large-scale, high-quality trials in this area. The review identifies effective techniques that could be deployed in future interventions.

Indexed as

Body ImageEmotionsFemaleHumansMale

Identifiers

PMID26418470
PMCPMC4587797

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.