Facilitating Positive Body Image During a Positive Body Image Symposium

Facilitating Positive Body Image During a Positive Body Image Symposium

Speakers: Janette Olsen, PhD

Co-Author: Cindy Seiger, PT, Ph.D., GCS, CEEAA

Having a positive body image is more than just not having disordered eating. It is important to teach how positive body image is experienced through a myriad of situations. For the past four years, a Positive Body Image Symposium (PBIS) was held on a university campus in the western US. The primary target populations were college students, health professions students, and health professionals. Each year, 8-10 different topics were addressed and included didactic and experiential components. This presentation will discuss the creation of a PBIS and the four years of evaluations. Quantitative and qualitative results indicate that the symposium participants expressed improved knowledge and understanding of positive body image. Facilitating discussions and learning opportunities about positive body image constructs are beneficial for those who want to improve their personal understanding of body image and possible biases when building health-related programs

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1) Describe at least three components of positive body image

2) Illustrate at least two learning opportunities that build a positive body image for health professionals, health professions students, and community members