RESOURCES FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Recommended Resources - Weight Stigma
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✽ Educational Resources ✽
The following are a list of education resources that define weight stigma, bias and discrimination. Resources include brief education videos, guides, brochures, and guidance on using person-first language.
National Eating Disorders Collaboration: Weight Stigma
Obesity Action Coalition: Person-First Language
Obesity Action Coalition: Weight Bias Resources
Obesity Canada: Weight Bias
The Obesity Collective: Weight Stigma Awareness
Weight Issues Network: Weight Stigma
Assessment of Clinical Space Checklist: Forhan M, Grand C, Hung P. Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: Enabling Participation in Activities of Daily Living for People Living with Obesity.
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✽ Training ✽
These courses have been designed for healthcare professionals to equip them with the knowledge and tools needed to provide more respectful, supportive, and compassionate care to people of all body sizes. They offer practical strategies to improve clinical practice and raise awareness about how weight stigma manifests within the healthcare setting.
The Obesity Collective: Understanding the Science and Reality of Obesity for Better Patient Care
Obesity Cananda: The Impact of Weight Bias and Stigma
University of Connecticut Rudd Center: Supportive Obesity Care
World Obesity (via Strategic Centre for Obesity Professional Education): Weight Bias: A Hidden Harm
Healthy Minds Learning: Balanced View
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital: Weight-Related Conversation Resources
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✽ Image Banks ✽
This is a collection of organisations who have developed free-to-use galleries of non-biased, respectful images of people living with obesity, to help refocus the perception of obesity.
University of Connecticut Rudd Center Media Gallery
Weight Issues Network (WIN) Respectful Image Library
European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) Obesity Image Bank
European Coalition for People living with Obesity (ECPO) Image Bank
Referral Pathways for Australian Health Professionals
Contact us for assistance with referral pathways for people with an eating disorder and higher weight
Parent Guide to Child Healthy Weight Programs
Grammer AC, Jebeile H, Wilfley DE. Parent Guide to Child Healthy Weight Programs. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176(9):952. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.2049
Download the resource HERE
Additional Resources
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Weight Bias Internalisation Scale
Weight Bias Internalisation Scale (WBIS)
Durso LE, Latner JD. Understanding self‐directed stigma: development of the weight bias internalization scale. Obesity. 2008;16(2):S80-S86. doi: 10.1038/oby.2008.448
Weight Bias Internalisation Scale, Modified (WBIS-M)
Pearl RL, Puhl RM. Measuring internalized weight attitudes across body weight categories: validation of the modified weight bias internalization scale. Body Image. 2014;11(1):89-92. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.09.00
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Position Statements
International Consensus Statement on Weight Stigma
Rubino F, Puhl RM, Cummings DE, et al. Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity. Nat Med. 2020;26(4):485–497. doi:10.1038/s41591-020-0803-x
World Obesity Federation
Nutter S, Eggerichs LA, Nagpal TS, et al. Changing the global obesity narrative to recognize and reduce weight stigma: A position statement from the World Obesity Federation. Obes Rev. 2024;25(1):e13642. doi:10.1111/obr.13642
Coming soon…
Resources currently underway…
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Developed to be used when designing and delivering obesity treatment interventions. Aims to encourage healthcare professionals, providers and researchers of obesity treatment to minimise weight stigma in their practice. This checklist can also be used as a quality improvement tool to evaluate and modify existing services.
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