Evidence

Where evidence meets impact.

The work of The Embrace Collective is informed by more than 20 years of body image research and driven by some of the world’s leading experts in this space.

The scope of the problem

The majority of adolescents and adults want to change something about their body or appearance, and this has a significant impact on their physical and mental health behaviours and outcomes. And yet, the dominant health promotion and health and fitness industry messaging still promote body dissatisfaction, and stigmatise and discriminate against people on the basis of size.

77% of Australian adolescents report body image distress (Milton et al., 2021)
33% of adolescent girls meet the criteria for an eating disorder (Mitchison et al., 2020)

Body dissatisfaction is not benign, and leads to:

- 24 x more likely to develop depression and anxiety (McLean et al., 2021; Bornioli et al., 2021)
- Increased risk of eating disorders (Bucchianeri et al., 2013; Stice et al., 2019)
- Increased suicide intentions and ideation (Fan et al., 2022; Grunewald et al., 2021)
- Lower diet quality (Bucchianeri et al., 2013)
- Less likely to engage in physical activity (Bucchianeri et al., 2013; Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2006)
- High-risk drinking behaviours (Bornioli et al., 2021)
- Recreational drug use (Bornioli et al., 2021; Kanayama et al., 2006)
- Smoking (Amos & Bostock, 2007; Bornioli et al., 2019; Stice & Shaw, 2003)
- Use of steroids and weight gain supplements (Kanayama et al., 2006; Yager & McLean, 2020)
- Self-harm (Bornioli et al., 2019; Muhlenkamp et al., 2012)
- Lower academic engagement (Atkinson & Diedrichs, 2021)

The past 20 years of health promotion messaging has exacerbated body image concerns, weight stigma and eating disorders (Bristow et al., 2020; Rathbone et al., 2021). Increasing evidence suggests that body shame, weight bias, discrimination and stigma have a significant negative impact on physical and psychological health (Emmer et al., 2020; Wu &Berry, 2018; Zhu et al., 2022). Eating disorders affect an estimated 22% of adolescents, 13% of boys and 33% of girls (Mitchison et al., 2020), and have significant economic implications and the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (Santomauro et al., 2021).

Promoting body appreciation and reducing weight stigma offers an opportunity to improve protective factors for positive mental and physical health outcomes at any age and promote wellbeing for all (Hunger et al., 2020).

Our approach

Informed by lived experience

Everything we do is informed by formal and informal research, consultation and amplification of the voices of people who have experienced body dissatisfaction, eating disorders (clinical and subclinical), depression and mental health concerns, living in larger bodies, and those who identify as culturally diverse, neurodiverse, gender diverse, and disabled.

Informed by evidence

We are across, and have contributed to, the body image and eating disorder prevention research - particularly the work relating to interventions conducted over the past 30 years. We are internationally recognised experts in ‘what works’ to promote body appreciation, and draw on the diverse expertise of our Embrace Collective Advisory Network.

Centred around advocacy

Many effective body image programs have utilised advocacy as an effective component for enhancing impact. It is suggested that taking on the role of advocate, leader or changemaker may reinforce the positive impact of programs as people feel compelled to uphold the positive values of the program they are representing.

Creating a ripple effect

Our resources are designed to improve individual protective factors for body appreciation, and this is reinforced and amplified through taking on the role of changemaker. This not only gives them agency over the changes that need to be made to the sociocultural influences on their body image - peers, family and the media - but also benefits others in their community.

Evidence-based programs