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Background: Body image dissatisfaction during adolescence is common but not benign. School-based interventions have the potential for wide reach, but scalability of previous programmes is limited by a reliance on external facilitators., Aims: To assess the acceptability, feasibility and efficacy of a teacher-delivered body image intervention., Method: A pilot clustered randomised controlled trial in which 16 classes of adolescent girls were allocated to a 6-session body image programme (n = 261), or usual curriculum control (n = 187) (registration: ISRCTN42594993)., Results: Students in the intervention group had significantly improved body esteem and self-esteem and reduced thin-ideal internalisation. Effects for body esteem and thin-ideal internalisation were maintained for 3 months. There were no group differences for eating pathology, peer factors or depression. Acceptability, feasibility and efficacy varied between schools., Conclusions: Teacher-delivered body image lessons have promise but further work is needed to increase efficacy and make interventions suitable across a range of schools.

Background: There is evidence that clinical depression is associated with elevated basal cortisol levels in adult patients., Objective: The present investigation tries to find out, whether this relationship also holds true in adolescents with major depression., Methods: For 131 female subjects (63 MDD, 68 controls) the cortisol awakening response (CAR) was measured at 0, 30, 45, and 60 min after awakening. All subjects provided saliva cortisol., Results: A significantly higher CAR was found in patients. The global mean difference was due to differences 60 and 45 min after awakening., Limitations: A causal interpretation of the data is restricted, because of its cross-sectional nature. The effect size of the mean differences is rather small., Conclusion: The observed HPA hyperactivity may be a cause as well as a consequence of depression in childhood.