project health program
This Project Health manual outlines a dissonance-based obesity prevention intervention that has been developed and used at Stanford University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Oregon Research Institute. The intervention is the outgrowth of a 16-year program of research on the risk factors for eating disorders by this research team.
Project Health is an improved version of the Healthy Weight intervention that integrates persuasion principles from social psychology that have appeared to be effective in an eating disorder prevention program we developed (the Body Project). This version of the intervention draws upon dissonance induction procedures to reduce attitudinal and behavioral risk factors for eating disorders and obesity. The new dissonance version of the intervention encourages participants to explore the negative effects of obesity, an unhealthy diet, and sedentary behaviors, and the benefits of physical fitness, a healthy diet, and regular exercise. These topics are explored in a series of verbal, written, and behavioral exercises that take place during the sessions and in home exercises that participants complete between sessions.
The Project Health 6-session intervention is currently under evaluation in a randomized control trial at Oregon Research Institute and University of Texas Austin.
Project Health is an improved version of the Healthy Weight intervention that integrates persuasion principles from social psychology that have appeared to be effective in an eating disorder prevention program we developed (the Body Project). This version of the intervention draws upon dissonance induction procedures to reduce attitudinal and behavioral risk factors for eating disorders and obesity. The new dissonance version of the intervention encourages participants to explore the negative effects of obesity, an unhealthy diet, and sedentary behaviors, and the benefits of physical fitness, a healthy diet, and regular exercise. These topics are explored in a series of verbal, written, and behavioral exercises that take place during the sessions and in home exercises that participants complete between sessions.
The Project Health 6-session intervention is currently under evaluation in a randomized control trial at Oregon Research Institute and University of Texas Austin.
Oregon Research Institute Obesity Prevention Project