Table 1 Content and structure of the community provider training program

First session .

• Justification of the course and presentation of the MABIC project and its objectives.

Concept of eating and weight-related problems (EWRP)

• Presentation of the objectives and content of the course.

• Eating and weight-related problems concept (EWRP).

• Prevalence data of EWRP.

• Empirical reasons and practical considerations for using an integrated approach.

• Empirically supported shared risk factors for different EWRP that are potentially modifiable via preventive initiatives:

 - Dieting and unhealthy weight-control behaviors

 - Media use and beauty ideal internalization

 - Body dissatisfaction and weight and body concerns

 - Weight-related teasing

 - Frequency of family meals

Second session.

• Definition and criteria of obesity and overweight in adolescents.

Overweight, obesity and eating disorders: Prevalence, causes and consequences (first part).

• Prevalence of obesity.

• Health problems associated with obesity.

• Changing false beliefs about the linear association between BMI and health problems through the presentation of evidence from scientific studies.

• Psychosocial consequences of obesity: weight-related teasing and weight bias.

• Genetic causes of obesity and the importance of obesogenic environment.

• Importance of physical activity.

• Failure of weight-loss diets in the treatment of obesity in the long term.

• Importance of obesity prevention. Presentation of recent preventive initiatives in our country.

• Definition and criteria of eating disorders (ED) and its importance.

• Prevalence of ED.

• Health problems associated with ED.

• Characteristics of ED: analysis of the thoughts and behaviors characteristic of people with these problems.

Third session.

• Risk factors for ED.

Eating disorders: Prevalence, causes and consequences (second part) / Effects of restrictive and fad diets.

• Early detection, parents’ reaction and presentation of available health care resources.

• Analysis of participants’ beliefs about the effects of restrictive diets.

• Presentation of 10 empirically supported reasons not to go on restrictive diets.

• Effects of restrictive and fad diets and correction of false beliefs about it.

• Data about determinants of weight and about the difficulty of voluntary weight modification in the long term.

• Presentation of the thrifty genotype theory.

• Brief demonstration of the administration of the “Effects of diets” section from the preventive program that should be administered to participants.

Fourth session.

• Presentation of the new Health at Every Size paradigm in the treatment of obesity.

Nutrition, eating habits and Media Literacy.

• Presentation of a positive approach to nutrition education and activities for working with adolescents and families from this perspective.

• Brief demonstration of the administration of the “Nutrition” component of the preventive program that should be administered to participants.

• Prevalence data about media use and supported data about the influence of the media in the development of EWRP.

• What Media Literacy is and is not.

• Presentation of the “Action learning” model and the four necessary steps (Awareness / Analysis / Reflection / Action) for developing media literacy skills.

• Using media literacy and cognitive dissonance techniques to reduce the internalization of the thinness and beauty ideals.

• Brief demonstration of the administration of the “Media Literacy” component of the preventive program that should be administered to participants.

Fifth session .

• Presentation of the structure of the preventive program.

The preventive program: “Eating, the feminine beauty ideal and the media. How to train secondary-school students to be critical”.

• Role-playing: Acting out of some parts of the “Nutrition” component by health staff. Teaching use of the scripts and the manual. Reinforcement and feedback on the implementation.

• Role-playing: Acting out of some parts of the component “Media Literacy” by school staff. Teaching use of the scripts and the manual. Reinforcement and feedback on the implementation.

• Delivering the manual, the videos to be used as model-guide and accreditations.

• Closure of the course.