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"BodySense: A Positive Body Image
Initiative for Athletes*" is an exciting,
innovative and novel approach to building healthy
sport environments. This provincially funded outreach
initiative is dedicated to fostering positive body
image in male and female athletes in order to
proactively prevent disordered eating.
The BodySense initiative was created in 1999
after an Eastern Ontario needs assessment indicated
that there was a gap in services available with regards to positive body image and disordered eating.
With a 2.5 year research grant from the Ontario
Women's Health Council, a multi-site disordered
eating prevention project was started. The initiative
included two comprehensive primary prevention
school-based program sites in Toronto and Peel
County and a secondary prevention site in Ottawa. BodySense is the secondary
prevention site that deals with settings and people
who are already at risk of developing disordered
eating.
During its pilot stage, BodySense held discussion
groups in the club settings, created prevention
materials in the form of brochures and newsletters,
implemented a prevention program in the form of
an in-club presentation, and evaluated the program's implementation.
The BodySense initiative has now been adopted
by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport
and, with funding from the Ontario Trillium
Foundation (OTF), BodySense began a provincial implementation
and evaluation of the program materials. We are
currently partnered with three Provincial Sport
Organizations: Ontario Gymnastics; Canada Skate,
Eastern Ontario; and Dive Ontario. Additionally,
the BodySense Project is supported by the Coaches
Association of Ontario and the Coaching Association
of Canada. (For a full list of BodySense partners
click here)
BodySense has successfully
created a model for the promotion of positive
body image in sport settings. All of the written
materials created for BodySense are available to you on this
website. Should you be interested in requesting
a BodySense Presentation in your club please contact
the BodySense Outreach Coordinator at outreach@bodysense.ca.
For more information about the BodySense Model:
click here.
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