Distinguished Lecture Series

Translating Research into Action: Building Body Confidence in Sport

Nearly half of all teenage girls abandon sport. Low body confidence is a key driver, with girls reporting globally that they feel judged for how they look rather than celebrated for what their bodies and minds can do. Recognizing this critical challenge, researchers from the Centre for Appearance Research and the Tucker Center partnered with Dove and Nike to rigorously design, test and roll-out evidence-based tools that break down appearance stereotypes and promote positive body image among coaches and girl athletes. This presentation will explore the three-year research program underpinning the Body Confident Sport initiative: we’ll review key influences on girls’ body confidence including new insights from coaches and girl athletes across six countries about their needs for body image support, and the results from two rigorous randomized controlled trials involving over 1,200 participants demonstrating measurable benefits from taking part in Body Confident Sport. This partnership and research offers a compelling model for how industry-academic collaborations can rapidly translate scientific research into scalable interventions that transform sporting environments and create meaningful social change.