Butterfly Body Bright

Butterfly Foundation

Butterfly Body Bright is a whole-school program supporting positive body image and healthy attitudes and behaviours towards eating and physical activity from Foundation to Year 6.

Overview

Alignment with Be You Domains

Mentally Healthy Communities
Family Partnerships
Early Support

Alignment with Australian Curriculum

Health and PE

Target audience

Primary school

Target groups

Whole class
Whole school

Aims

Butterfly Body Bright aims to create appearance-inclusive primary school environments for children to develop positive and healthy attitudes and behaviours towards the body, eating, and physical activity. The aim is to reduce the influence of modifiable risk factors and strengthen protective factors that underpin the development of children’s body image.

Program theory

Body image starts developing during childhood and impacts children's everyday mental and physical wellbeing, eating, physical activity, hobbies, and engagement in social relationships and school life. It is also a leading risk factor for eating disorders. Sociocultural theories of body image development highlighted the key risk and protective factors that the program should address, including peer, media and family influences. Butterfly Body Bright's whole-school approach aims to prevent the later development of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in Australian youth. The program was also informed by a policy strategy study and lived experience from a survey with 165 Australian adults aged 19-65 who developed either body image or eating concerns, or both, during primary school.

Topics

Butterfly Body Bright addresses the risk and protective factors for children’s body image within six themes: Brave against appearance teasing; Resilient to unhelpful media messaging; Inclusive of all bodies; Grateful through body appreciation; Happy from joyful physical activity; Thoughtful relationships with eating.

Cost

The Butterfly Body Bright school-led program is available for an annual fee of $375(+GST) per school, for 12 months of access. Butterfly Body Bright registered schools can book an optional webinar for parents, which is available at a discounted cost of $600 (+GST; usually $750+GST) per session (the school has access to a session recording for 2 weeks after the event).

Program structure

Registered primary schools can flexibly implement Butterfly Body Bright. The program includes: - 50 curriculum-aligned lessons over the six BRIGHT themes that are age and developmentally appropriate across Foundation to Year 6, including downloadable digital materials and worksheets. The introductory lesson is one hour. Subsequent BRIGHT theme lessons range from 20 to 60 minutes. Educators can decide which lessons they deliver and when. - 17 School Culture Guidelines for being a Butterfly Body Bright school.

Instructor

Not provided

Instructor training

Staff are required to have completed the Body Bright Staff Training before gaining access to the lesson plans. Training includes approximately 4 hours of comprehensive and interactive online training across 5 compulsory modules and one optional staff-support module. Training is self-paced, allowing all staff to complete the training as convenient.

Supporting resources or materials available with program

Not provided

Other materials

All lesson plans and classroom materials are available for download at the end of the Body Bright Staff Training. Educators can download six themed fact sheets, a staff room poster, an early identification and intervention toolkit, and a checklist for classroom delivery. They can also access templates and inserts for school newsletters to share Body Bright messaging and resources with families.

Ongoing support

Educators have access to the online training materials for as long as their school's registration is active. Staff who complete Body Bright Staff Training are eligible for refresher courses after their first year of registration. Free ongoing support is available from the Body Bright Team relating to content or implementation of any aspect of the program.

Parent involvement

Attend information sessions
Follow-up information provided after program
Written information provided to parents
Online resources

Origin of program

Australia

Butterfly Foundation

Program authors

Butterfly Foundation

: 103 Alexander Street,Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia

: +61 3 9040 1593

: bodybright@butterfly.org.au

: Visit website

Ratings

2/4 Evidence

2/4 Implementation

Summary of evidence factors

This is a summary of the evaluation or research study characteristics that contribute to the program’s evidence rating.

Positive impact on at least one outcome for children and/or young people?	Yes
Link between program description and theory of change	Some links
Study design	Pre-post cohort
Independence	Semi

Summary of implementation factors

This is a summary of the program’s characteristics that contribute to its implementation rating.

Feedback sought from participants	No
Feedback sought from instructors	Yes
Groups program is not suitable for	Not assessed
Training provided during study	Web based
Ongoing instructor support provided during study	Yes

Context

This is a summary of the context in which the evidence for the program was established.

Study Participants	Primary school
Country of Study/s	Australia
Location of Study/s in Australia	VIC
Evaluation of program in culturally and linguistically diverse populations	No
Evaluation of program in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people	No
Evaluation of program in low socioeconomic groups	No
Developmental based adaptations to program design and delivery	No
Evaluation of program in children and young people with disability and/or learning difference	No

Last updated: 4 April 2024