A mixed methods analysis of a culturally responsive body image pilot intervention for black adolescent girls: Black girl joy
Kellie Walters, Amber Johnson, Alexis PopeBackground
Black adolescent girls develop body image within intersecting sociocultural contexts shaped by race, gender, and physical activity, yet few interventions are culturally and gender-responsive to their lived experiences.
Objective
This study examined the preliminary impact of
Study design
Exploratory mixed-methods pilot study using a single-group pre–post design.
Methods
The 7-week intervention was delivered to Black middle school girls participating in a district-based enrichment program in Southern California. Participants who completed both pre- and post-assessments (N = 14) were included in the analyses. Outcomes included body image, self-esteem, physical activity enjoyment, self-compassion, and anxiety/depressive symptoms. Prior to analysis, normality of difference scores was evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Given observed violations of normality and the small sample size, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were conducted for all pre–post comparisons. Baseline bivariate correlations were also examined. Qualitative data were collected through three semi-structured focus groups and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.
Results
Baseline correlations revealed a positive association between body image and self-esteem, and a negative association between self-compassion and anxiety/depressive symptoms. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests indicated no statistically significant pre-to-post changes across outcome variables; however, several outcomes showed small-to-medium effect sizes in the expected direction, including body esteem weight (r = .320), PHQ anxiety (r = .348), and self-compassion self-kindness (r = .359). Qualitative findings identified four themes: body image discussions, perceptions of physical activity, connection, and program recommendations. Participants described increased self-love, confidence, and self-kindness; enjoyment of both strength-based and expressive movement; meaningful peer and coach relationships; and a desire for greater autonomy in programming.
Conclusion
Findings demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally responsive pilot intervention for Black adolescent girls. Larger, controlled studies are needed to evaluate efficacy and inform scalable implementation.