A proposed self-esteem and body image curriculum for middle school-aged girls

Middle school girls are a population with low average self-esteem and body image. Self-esteem and body image can affect many aspects of health, including substance use, eating disorders, and depression. The Girl Scouts of Central Indiana (GSCI) Terre Haute Service Center runs an in-school club at Otter Creek Middle School to improve girls’ self-esteem. Because many of the girls participate in the club year after year, a new curriculum is needed each school year. The purpose of this project is to create a program plan for the 2015-2016 school year, based on self-esteem and body image research. In order to have a curriculum that is supported by research, practical for this situation, and appropriate for these girls, activities from several curricula are modified and combined in this program plan. Because of the serious health implications of low self-esteem and body image in middle school girls, successful interventions are a necessary public health goal. This program plan is a model for how to tailor existing interventions for a specific population