We will host the European Research Council's (ERC) Scientific Council meeting this June. Leading up to the visit, we are highlighting some of the projects at Durham that are happening thanks to support from the ERC.
Professor Lynda Boothroyd, from our Department of Psychology, is leading a project to develop and test a body image intervention programme across Latin America and Africa.
Professor Boothroyd has spent over a decade investigating body ideals in diverse cultural contexts.
This included a four-year project in rural Nicaragua which concluded increasing access to television was leading to lower weight preferences and increasing risk of body dissatisfaction.
These issues are not just limited to Nicaragua, however. Low-income communities worldwide are increasingly exposed to visual media and changing diets, raising the risk of eating disorders and other consequences of appearance dissatisfaction.
However, there is little evidence on how to prevent such concerns arising in these contexts. With most body image research to date focusing on high-income, Western populations, leaving out low- and middle-income countries.
Professor Boothroyd and her team are aiming to fill this gap by creating a framework for body image education in lower-income communities.
This is to serve not only the Nicaraguan communities who shared their time and thoughts with the team but other communities worldwide.
This project is exploring body dissatisfaction and eating disorder risks in diverse cultural settings, starting with Nicaragua and Colombia, and expanding across wider Latin America and Africa.
It will involve over 3,000 participants across six countries.
The goal being to help policymakers and educators develop resources and proactive education programmes to build body image resilience.
The project involves collaboration with researchers from institutions in Nicaragua, Colombia, and Zimbabwe, with project advisers from across the globe.
The project will see the launch of an accessible online toolkit aimed at enhancing understanding and providing guidance on body image resilience across diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds.
The programme recently completed a pilot phase involving 400 teenagers from five schools in Barranquilla, Northern Colombia.
The research team noted that students facilitating the programme showed improved social media literacy, and the participating teenagers were enthusiastic and enjoyed the lessons.
Currently, the research team is in Mexico, engaging with academics in Oaxaca to assess the programme's suitability for the region.
They are also scheduled to meet with teachers to discuss local perspectives on curriculum development.
The five-year study, funded by ERC via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will begin to report its first findings in 2026.
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