Key highlights
- The Embrace Impact Lab evaluated the Embrace Kids Parent Masterclass to understand its effectiveness among parents
- Parents who watched the Parent Masterclass experienced significant improvements in their knowledge, awareness and competency in promoting positive body image compared to those who didn’t watch it, with large effects
- 89.5% of parents said they would recommend the masterclass to others
Why we need the Embrace Kids Parent Masterclass
As conversations around body image and mental health gain momentum, we can’t afford to overlook prevention. Body image concerns are a growing public health issue, with youth consistently identifying body dissatisfaction as a top mental health concern. Alarmingly, these issues begin early, with some children as young as six experiencing body dissatisfaction, and rates as high as 70% have been reported in preschool-aged children. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable, with research showing 6.8% of boys and 19.6% of girls experience clinically significant body dissatisfaction. Parents’ comments about weight, body image and food are among the most influential sociocultural factors shaping children’s body image. The Embrace Kids Parent Masterclass was designed to address this gap by equipping parents with the knowledge and tools they need to support positive body image in their children.
What’s involved in the Parent Masterclass
The Embrace Kids Parent Masterclass is a 5-minute online educational video developed to introduce parents to the concept of body image and equip them with strategies to help their children build better body image. Designed by body image expert Dr. Zali Yager, based on previous science and research, the intervention draws on expert guidelines and incorporates key evidence-based messages to address common challenges parents face, including language to use around food & bodies, social media and appearance-based bullying.
The masterclass is presented by comedian and dad Nazeem Hussain, whose engaging and light-hearted delivery style was intended to ensure the material is both accessible and impactful.
What the study found
The Embrace Impact Lab at Flinders University in South Australia conducted a randomised controlled trial (RCT; the most rigorous study design) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Embrace Kids Parent Masterclass. The study was designed to assess whether the masterclass could improve parents’ knowledge, awareness and competency in promoting positive body image in children. The RCT randomised 210 parents (56.2% female, 42.9% male; 1% non-binary) to either the intervention group, where they viewed the Parent Masterclass, or an active control group, where they watched a 5-minute video on parenting skills from the evidence-based Circle of Security program. Participants completed a baseline survey, watched their assigned video, and then completed a follow-up survey immediately afterward. Survey items were developed specifically for this study, based on pre-existing research, with 7-9 items to measure knowledge, awareness, competence, and behavioural intentions when it comes to body image in their home.
The parents who watched the masterclass had significant improvements in their knowledge, awareness and competency in promoting positive body image compared to the active control group. Statistical analyses revealed ‘large’ increases, beyond what is typically observed in online programs, particularly ones that are this short.
For example, in relation to awareness, at baseline, 90.5% of parents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “I should discuss what bodies can do, rather than how they look around my child/ren”, and after watching the masterclass, 99% agreed, indicating that parents had increased awareness of how to talk about bodies in front of their children.
Before they watched the masterclass, only 83.8% of parents agreed that they ‘know how to respond when I hear my child/ren engage in negative body talk’, and after watching the masterclass, 98.1% agreed, indicating increased competence in improving body image in their children.
After watching the masterclass, 97-100% of parents agreed that they would engage in behaviours that are known to support positive body image development. For example, 97.1% agreed they would ‘stop talking negatively about my body in front of my child/ren’; 98.1% of parents agreed they would ‘create a home environment where children are not allowed to tease each other about their body weight/shape’ and 100% agreed they would ‘support my child/ren to develop social media literacy and question what they see’.
