2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt during the making of Embrace Kids.
Unrealistic expectations about what our bodies should look like – whether from the media, friends or family -make adults and children of all ages more vulnerable to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and other mental health challenges.
In a new study in Body Image, Flinders University experts assessing the program’s usefulness in classrooms highlight the potential for the Embrace Kids film, directed by 2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt, to achieve large-scale improvements in body image in young people aged 9-14 years.
“The study gives promising preliminary evidence in support of the broad impact and reach of Embrace Kids and points to its potential as a resource that could be safely delivered at scale, at minimal cost,” says Philippa Granfield, from the Embrace Impact Lab at Flinders University.
“Young people, as well as the adults who accompanied them to screenings of Embrace Kids, reported improved body image and self-compassion after watching the film. It motivated viewers of all ages to be kinder to themselves and others in social media.
“Importantly, it did all of this without making viewers more concerned about their appearance, which is sometimes a concern people have about body image interventions.”
An Embrace Impact Lab evaluation of the Embrace Kids Classroom Program is underway at 20 schools in South Australia and Queensland, thanks to support from Flinders Foundation for the Year 7-8 study and Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation for the rollout in Year 5-6.
Associate Professor Ivanka Prichard, who co-founded the Embrace Impact Lab at Flinders University, says The Embrace Kids Classroom Program – developed with support from Little Heroes Foundation – extended the film’s messages, and has the potential to reach even more young people.
/Public Release. View in full here.
