Learning environments that promote positive body image

• Teach social and emotional skills in the classroom, including acceptance and self-awareness, especially of one’s body.
• Display posters and other materials that reflect the diversity of children and young people in terms of body shape, size, ability and ethnicity. This ensures your learning community is inclusive of all children, young people and families.
• Promote a healthy culture by modelling and promoting positive body image, enjoyment of sport and non-competitive activity, and an acceptance of everyone’s strengths and skills.
• Help children and young people develop a strong sense of self, as well as the skills to buffer unhelpful messages about beauty and appearance ideals to build a positive body image.
• Supply education about fitness and nutrition that has a positive focus on energy, fun, social connection and overall health and wellbeing, rather than a negative focus on weight and dietary control.
• Avoid weighing children and young people, and other activities that ask them to calculate body mass index, record food intake or encourage calorie counting.

• Establish effective policies and practices that aim to promote respectful interactions and prevent appearance-related teasing and bullying.
• Support those who are teased or bullied because of their appearance, body size, shape, abilities or ethnicity.
• Ensure food served in services and schools is nutritious and balanced, and that food and lunch box shaming is discouraged.
• Provide staff with professional development opportunities to build knowledge and skills on the topics of body image, healthy eating and exercise behaviours.
• Incorporate media and social media literacy education to help children and young people develop their critical processing skills.

• Provide information for families about how they can help their child or young person develop a positive body image and a strong sense of self.
• Cultivate a welcoming environment for families, so they feel comfortable and confident discussing any issue, reiterating and modelling the messages at home and asking for help if needed.
• Incorporate the messages of acceptance and diversity of body size, shape and appearance in homework activities and projects completed at home.
• Incorporate media and social media literacy education to help children and young people develop their critical processing skills.

Andrew, R., Tiggemann, M., & Clark, L. (2016). Predictors and health-related outcomes of positive body image in adolescent girls: A prospective study. Developmental Psychology, 52(3), 463.

Bailey, V., Baker, A-M., Cave, L., Fildes, J., Perrens, B., Plummer, J., & Wearring, A. (2016). Mission Australia’s 2016 youth survey report. Sydney: Mission Australia. Retrieved from https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/documents/research/young-people-research/677-mission-australia-youth-survey-report-2016

Damiano,S. R.,Gregg,K. J., Spiel,E. C., McLean,S. A.,Wertheim,E. H., & Paxton, S. J.  (2015). Relationships between Body Size Attitudes and Body Image of Four-year-old Boys and Girls and Attitudes of their Fathers and Mothers. Journal of Eating Disorders, 3:16. doi: 10.1186/s40337-015-0048-0

Damiano, S.R., Yager, Z., McLean, S.A., & Paxton, S.J. (2018). Achieving Body Confidence for Young Children: Development and pilot study of a universal teacher-led body image and weight stigma program for early primary school children. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 26(6), 487-504, https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2018.1453630

Damiano, S.R., Paxton, S.J., Wertheim, E.H., McLean, S.A., & Gregg, K.J. (2015). Dietary restraint of 5-year-old girls: Associations with internalization of the thin ideal, maternal, media and peer influences.  International Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 1166–1169.

Dohnt, H. K., & Tiggemann, M. (2006). Body image concerns in young girls: The role of peers and media prior to adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35(2), 141-151.

Evans, R., Roy, J., Geiger, B., Werner, K., & Burnett, D. (2008). Ecological strategies to promote healthy body image among children. Journal of School Health, 78(7), 359-367.

Ferreiro, F., Seoane, G., & Senra, C. (2014). Toward understanding the role of body dissatisfaction in the gender differences in depressive symptoms and disordered eating: A longitudinal study during adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 37(1), 73-84.

Grogan, S. (2016). Body image: Understanding body dissatisfaction in men, women and children. London: Routledge.

Holt, K. E., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2008). Weight concerns among elementary school children: A review of prevention programs. Body Image, 5(3), 233-243.

Littleton, H. L., & Ollendick, T. (2003). Negative body image and disordered eating behavior in children and adolescents: what places youth at risk and how can these problems be prevented? Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6(1), 51-66.

Paxton, S. J., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Hannan, P. J., Eisenberg, M. (2006).  Body dissatisfaction prospectively predicts depressive mood and low self-esteem in adolescent girls and boys.  Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 539-549.

Smolak, L. (2004). Body image in children and adolescents: where do we go from here? Body Image, 1(1), 15-28

Butterfly Foundation's National Helpline

Eating Disorders Victoria – How Far is Too Far?

headspace – Food forThought

Mental Health First Aid Guidelines for Eating Disorders

National Eating Disorder Collaboration – Eating Disorders in Schools: Prevention, Early Identification and Response