During late childhood and into early adolescence, girls begin to value themselves more for their physical appearance, experience a decreasing sense of agency, and disconnect from the experience of being in their body. These shifts, reflecting negative embodiment, are linked to a number of negative health outcomes including worsening body image, decreased physical activity behavior, and increases in disordered eating. The Find What Moves You (FWMY) program was developed for 12- to 14-year-old girls to prevent and address a number of risk factors that stem from the experience of negative embodiment. The purpose of this paper was to use intervention mapping to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of FWMY as well as describe the results of the first pilot study. The first pilot study was designed to evaluate the feasibility, fidelity, and acceptability of FWMY. Six girls (ages 12–14) participated in an online version of the program. Results reflected moderate to high degrees of program feasibility, fidelity, and acceptability. However, acceptability of the online format was mixed, suggesting an in-person format may better meet the needs of most. Implications for the application of the intervention mapping approach for practice and the pilot study results are discussed.
AllevaJ. M.SheeranP.WebbT. L.MartijnC.MilesE. (2015). A meta-analytic review of stand-alone interventions to improve body image. PLOS ONE, 10(9), Article e0139177. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139177
2.
Bartholomew-EldredgeL. K.MarkhamC.RuiterR. A.FernandezM. E.KokG.ParcelG. (2016). Planning health promotion programs: An Intervention Mapping approach (4th ed.). Jossey Bass.
3.
BerryS. L.BurtonA. L.RogersK.LeeC. M.BerleD. M. (2025). A systematic review and meta-analysis of eating disorder preventative interventions in schools. European Eating Disorders Review, 33(2), 390–410. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.3149
4.
BlaseK.FixsenD. (2013). Core intervention components: Identifying and operationalizing what makes programs work [ASPE Research Brief]. US Department of Health and Human Services.
5.
BornioliA.Lewis-SmithH.SlaterA.BrayI. (2021). Body dissatisfaction predicts the onset of depression among adolescent females and males: A prospective study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 75(4), 343–348. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2019-213033
6.
BrugJ.OenemaA.FerreiraI. (2005). Theory, evidence and intervention mapping to improve behavior nutrition and physical activity interventions. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-2-2
7.
BucchianeriM. M.ArikianA. J.HannanP. J.EisenbergM. E.Neumark-SztainerD. (2012). Body dissatisfaction from adolescence to young adulthood: Findings from a 10-year longitudinal study. Body Image, 10(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.09.001
8.
CowleyE. S.WatsonP. M.FoweatherL.BeltonS.ThompsonA.ThijssenD.WagenmakersA. J. (2021). “Girls aren’t meant to exercise”: Perceived influences on physical activity among adolescent girls—The HERizon project. Children, 8(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8010031
9.
CoxA. E.Ullrich-FrenchS.AustinB. (2020). Testing the role of state mindfulness in facilitating autonomous physical activity motivation. Mindfulness, 11, 1018–1027. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01311-y
10.
CoxA. E.Ullrich-FrenchS.HoweH. S.ColeA. N. (2017). A pilot yoga physical education curriculum to promote positive body image. Body Image, 23, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.07.007
11.
DecatP.NelsonE.De MeyerS.JarusevicieneL.OrozcoM.SeguraZ.GorterA.VegaB.CordovaK.MaesL.TemmermanM.LeyeE.DegommeO. (2013). Community embedded reproductive health interventions for adolescents in Latin America: Development and evaluation of a complex multi-centre intervention. BMC Public Health, 13, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-31
12.
DeciE. L.RyanR. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life’s domains. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 49(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0708-5591.49.1.14
13.
DeFreeseJ. D.SmithA. L. (2013). Teammate social support, burnout, and self-determined motivation in collegiate athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14(2), 258–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2012.10.009
14.
EimeR. M.HarveyJ. T.CharityM. J.CaseyM. M.WesterbeekH.PayneW. R. (2016). Age profiles of Sport participants. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 8(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-016-0031-3
15.
ErlingssonC.BrysiewiczP. (2017). A hands-on guide to doing content analysis. African Journal of Emergency Medicine, 7(3), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afjem.2017.08.001
16.
GearingR. E.El-BasselN.GhesquiereA.BaldwinS.GilliesJ.NgeowE. (2011). Major ingredients of fidelity: A review and scientific guide to improving quality of intervention research implementation. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(1), 79–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.09.007
17.
GutholdR.StevensG. A.RileyL. M.BullF. C. (2020). Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: A pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 1·6 million participants. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(1), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(19)30323-2
18.
HaggerM. S.HankonenN.ChatzisarantisN. L.RyanR. M. (2020). Changing behavior using self-determination theory. In HaggerM. S.CameronL. D.HamiltonK.HankonenN.LintunenT. (Eds.), The handbook of behavior change (pp. 104–119). Cambridge University Press.
19.
InchleyJ.KirbyJ.CurrieC. (2011). Longitudinal changes in physical self-perceptions and associations with physical activity during adolescence. Pediatric Exercise Science, 23(2), 237–249. https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.23.2.237
20.
JankauskieneR.BacevicieneM. (2024). Mindful monitoring and accepting the body in physical activity mediates the associations between physical activity and positive body image in a sample of young physically active adults. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6, Article 1360145. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1360145
21.
LindsayE. K.CreswellJ. D. (2017). Mechanisms of mindfulness training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT). Clinical Psychology Review, 51, 48–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.10.011
22.
López-GilJ. F.García-HermosoA.SmithL.FirthJ.TrottM.MesasA. E.Jiménez-LópezE.Gutiérrez-EspinozaH.Tárraga-LópezP. J.Victoria-MontesinosD. (2023). Global proportion of disordered eating in children and adolescents. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(4), 363–372. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.5848
MartiniM. C.AssumpçãoD. de.BarrosM. B.MatteiJ.Barros FilhoA. de. (2022). Prevalence of body weight dissatisfaction among adolescents: A systematic review. Revista Paulista de Pediatria, 41, Article e2021204. https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0462/2023/41/2021204
25.
Moreno-MurciaJ. A.HernándezE. H. (2013). The importance of supporting adolescents’ autonomy in promoting physical-sport exercise. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 16, E81. https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2013.81
26.
Neumark-SztainerD.PaxtonS. J.HannanP. J.HainesJ.StoryM. (2006). Does body satisfaction matter? Five-year longitudinal associations between body satisfaction and health behaviors in adolescent females and males. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 39(2), 244–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.12.001
27.
NoggK. A.VaughnA. A.LevyS. S.BlashillA. J. (2021). Motivation for physical activity among U.S. adolescents: A self-determination theory perspective. Annals of Behavioral Medicine: A Publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 55(2), 133–143. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaa037
28.
OwenK. B.SmithJ.LubansD. R.NgJ. Y.LonsdaleC. (2014). Self-determined motivation and physical activity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Medicine, 67, 270–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.07.033
29.
OwenM. B.CurryW. B.KernerC.NewsonL.FaircloughS. J. (2017). The effectiveness of school-based physical activity interventions for adolescent girls: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Medicine, 105, 237–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.09.018
30.
PandeyA.HaleD.DasS.GoddingsA. L.BlakemoreS. J.VinerR. M. (2018). Effectiveness of universal self-regulation–based interventions in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 172(6), 566–575. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.0232
31.
PateR. R.SaundersR. P.Taverno RossS. E.DowdaM. (2022). Patterns of age-related change in physical activity during the transition from elementary to high school. Preventive Medicine Reports, 26, 101712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101712
32.
PiranN. (2016). Embodied possibilities and disruptions: The emergence of the experience of embodiment construct from qualitative studies with girls and women. Body Image, 18, 43–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.04.007
33.
PiranN. (2017). Journeys of embodiment at the intersection of body and culture: The developmental theory of embodiment. Academic Press.
34.
PrinsR. G.van EmpelenP.BeenackersM. A.BrugJ.OenemaA. (2010). Systematic development of the YouRAction program, a computer-tailored physical activity promotion intervention for Dutch adolescents, targeting personal motivations and environmental opportunities. BMC Public Health, 10, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-10-474
35.
RyanR. M.DeciE. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860
36.
SabistonC. M.DoréI.LucibelloK. M.PilaE.BrunetJ.ThibaultV.BélangerM. (2022). Body image self-conscious emotions get worse throughout adolescence and relate to physical activity behavior in girls and boys. Social Science & Medicine, 315, 115543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115543
37.
SekhonM.CartwrightM.FrancisJ. J. (2017). Acceptability of healthcare interventions: An overview of reviews and development of a theoretical framework. BMC Health Services Research, 17, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2031-8
38.
SimioneL.RaffoneA.MirolliM. (2021). Acceptance, and not its interaction with attention monitoring, increases psychological well-being: Testing the monitor and acceptance theory of mindfulness. Mindfulness, 12, 1398–1411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01607-7
39.
SlaterA.TiggemannM. (2010). “Uncool to do sport”: A focus group study of adolescent girls’ reasons for withdrawing from physical activity. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11(6), 619–626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2010.07.006
40.
SlaterA.TiggemannM. (2011). Gender differences in adolescent sport participation, teasing, self-objectification and body image concerns. Journal of Adolescence, 34(3), 455–463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.06.007
41.
SpencerR. A.RehmanL.KirkS. F. (2015). Understanding gender norms, nutrition, and physical activity in adolescent girls: A scoping review. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-015-0166-8
