NCT05669053

The Impact of Playing Super U on Pre-adolescents' Body Image

Completed NA Last updated 25 August 2023

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Super U Story intervention in Body Image in 2,941 participants. Completed in 19 March 2023.

Timeline

7 January 2023

Primary endpoint
12 March 2023

19 March 2023

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of the West of England
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	single
Primary purpose	prevention
Enrollment	2,941
Start date	7 January 2023
Primary completion	12 March 2023
Estimated completion	19 March 2023
Sites	1 location across United Kingdom

Drugs / interventions tested

• Super U Story intervention
• Alternative Roblox game
• Online word search

Conditions studied

• Body Image — all drugs for Body Image →

Sponsor

University of the West of England

Who can join

Adults 9 to 13, any sex, with Body Image. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Body image concerns can have serious physical and psychological consequences on young people, including anxiety, depression, risk taking behaviours, eating disorders and suicidal ideation.

Micro-interventions (brief, low intensity interventions), offer an alternative to traditional, intense interventions that aim to immediately improve specific symptoms. Body image micro-interventions have proven effective at providing immediate and short-term improvements in body image among adolescents within digital and community settings. To date, utilising micro interventions in the world of gaming remains unexplored. Specifically, the Roblox platform which is hugely popular among young people (Roblox, September 2022).

As such, the aim of the present study is to conduct a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the immediate and short-term impact of a Roblox game, Super U story, on American children and adolescents' body image, mood, internalisation of appearance ideals and social media literacy. The primary outcome is immediate change in state-based body satisfaction. Secondary outcomes include immediate changes in state-based mood and body functionality and short-term changes in trait body esteem, body appreciation, internalisation of appearance ideals and social media literacy.

The Super U story was developed through a collaboration between Dove (Unilever), Toya (game developers) and The Centre for Appearance Research. It was specifically designed to target sociocultural risk and protective factors for body image including social media literacy, appearance comparisons, positive body image and teasing/bullying around appearance.

The comparison control conditions include an active control; an alternative Roblox game; Rainbow Friends story which has been matched to the intervention on style, length, and age appropriateness (omitting body image messaging) and an attention control whereby participants complete a series of word searches.

To undertake the main trial, 1,479 girls and boys will be recruited through an external research agency. Participants will be randomised to one of three conditions: 1) the Super U story intervention, 2) alternative Roblox game or 3) attention control. All participants will be encouraged to play the game/word search for a maximum of 30 minutes, where they will be assessed on state-body image and mood immediately before and after completing the game/word search. All participants will be assessed on trait body esteem, body appreciation, internalisation of appearance ideals and social media literacy at baseline (one week pre-intervention) and again at one-week post intervention.

At the end of the study, all participants will receive a debrief form, outlining the study aims and objectives, and additional resources for body and eating concerns.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Roblox Video Game (Super U Story) in Improving Body Image Among Children and Adolescents in the United States: Randomized Controlled Trial.
   Paraskeva N, Haywood S, Anquandah J, White P, et al · · 2025 · cited 2× · PMID 40743518 · DOI 10.2196/66625