New OSU-Tulsa lab dedicated to body image, disordered eating research opens Aug. 31

The grand opening of the Body Image and Disordered Eating (BIDE) Laboratory at OSU-Tulsa is set for Friday, Aug. 31.

The public is invited to attend the come-and-go event between 3-7 p.m. in Main Hall 1318.

The aim of the lab is to gain greater understanding of how body image plays a role in social justice, cultural diversity and individual and collective health. Researchers will include doctoral and master’s students in counseling.

The laboratory provides space for researchers to work together on projects as well as host focus groups.

“We don’t want to be just a research lab. This is a research- to-action lab,” Dr. Tonya Hammer, associate professor of counseling and lab director, said. “That objective embraces OSU’s land-grant mission as well as the value the Tulsa campus places on community partnerships and connections.”

Researchers will seek answers to several questions, including:

• What factors affect the body image of typically healthy people?
• How does the family unit contribute to body dissatisfaction?
• What factors contribute to disordered eating in males?
• What role does body image or disordered eating play in relationship satisfaction for LGBTQ people?
• How does a person’s lack of a reliable source of food figure into their body image?
• What role does a person’s heritage – specifically Latino or Native American – play in body image?

Researchers will collaborate with community partners such as the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital’s eating disorders program and several Tulsa-area school districts to create and deliver research-based intervention, prevention and treatment programming.

In addition, they will contribute to the work of advocacy organizations, including the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association, the National Eating Disorders Association and the International Association of Eating Disorders Providers.

To learn more about the laboratory and research, visit education.okstate.edu/osubide.