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01-06-2019 | Obesity | The Obesity Epidemic: Causes and Consequences (A Cameron and K Backholer, Section Editors)

Weight Bias in Educational Settings: a Systematic Review

Authors: Sarah Nutter, Alana Ireland, Angela S. Alberga, Isabel Brun, Danielle Lefebvre, K. Alix Hayden, Shelly Russell-Mayhew

Published in: Current Obesity Reports | Issue 2/2019

Abstract

Purpose

To conduct a systematic literature review of empirical peer-reviewed published studies on the prevalence of weight bias among students, pre-service, and in-service teachers and its impact on the educational experiences and health of students from kindergarten to postsecondary settings.

Methods

Keywords were searched on three main concepts, (i) weight bias/stigma, (ii) obesity/overweight, and (iii) education, within eight databases. Our search yielded 8323 individual records, of which 45 studies satisfied our inclusion criteria.

Results

Most studies were conducted in K-12 school settings (n = 41), were quantitative in design (n = 37), and used student samples (n = 18). Weight bias is prevalent in educational settings, among peers at school as well as pre-service and in-service teachers, and negatively impacts students’ health and educational experiences.

Conclusion

These results highlighted the impact of weight bias in creating inequity for students with obesity as well as several underexamined areas, such as weight bias in postsecondary settings and attitudes among teachers and pre-service teachers. Innovative strategies to address weight bias in educational settings are needed.

Available only for authorised users

We acknowledge that multiple terms are used in this area of research, including weight-based victimization, weight-based teasing, weight-based bullying, and weight bias. In this paper, our use of weight bias is intended to be an umbrella term for these concepts.

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Title: Weight Bias in Educational Settings: a Systematic Review
Authors: Sarah Nutter
Alana Ireland
Angela S. Alberga
Isabel Brun
Danielle Lefebvre
K. Alix Hayden
Shelly Russell-Mayhew
Publication date: 01-06-2019
Publisher: Springer US
Keywords: Obesity
Obesity
Overweight
Published in: Current Obesity Reports / Issue 2/2019
Electronic ISSN: 2162-4968
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-019-00330-8

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