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Cited by 284Obesity and Health PracticesSocial and Intergroup PsychologyObesity, Physical Activity, Diet

Weight bias among health care professionals: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Lawrence, Blake J., Kerr, Deborah, Pollard, Christina M., Theophilus, Mary, Alexander, Elise, Haywood, Darren, O’Connor, Moira·2021·Obesity
DOI 10.1002/oby.23266
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Abstract

Objective: Weight‐biased attitudes and views held by health care professionals can have a negative impact on the patient‐provider relationship and the provision of care, but studies have found mixed results about the extent and nature of bias, which warrants a review of the evidence. Methods: A systematic review and random‐effects meta‐analysis were conducted by including studies up to January 12, 2021. Results: A total of 41 studies met inclusion criteria, with 17 studies providing sufficient data to be meta‐analyzed. A moderate pooled effect (standardized mean difference = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.37‐0.96) showed that health care professionals demonstrate implicit weight bias. Health care professionals also report explicit weight bias on the Fat Phobia Scale, Antifat Attitudes Scale, and Attitudes Towards Obese Persons Scale. Findings show that medical doctors, nurses, dietitians, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, podiatrists, and exercise physiologists hold implicit and/or explicit weight‐biased attitudes toward people with obesity. A total of 27 different outcomes were used to measure weight bias, and the overall quality of evidence was rated as very low. Conclusions: Future research needs to adopt more robust research methods to improve the assessment of weight bias and to inform future interventions to address weight bias among health care professionals.

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  • Individuals with obesity are disproportionately affected by societal stigma and often face bias from healthcare professionals.

    “Additionally, individuals with obesity are disproportionately affected by societal stigma and often face bias from healthcare professionals [11, 12, 13, 14].”

    From A Qualitative Analysis of Patient Experiences Using Semaglutide 2.4 mg for Weight Loss (2025) · cites this paper as [11]

  • Despite being reported less frequently in our cohort (4.4% of posts), stigma remains an important aspect to highlight as it reflects the pervasive nature of weight bias and stigma.

    “Despite being reported less frequently in our cohort (4.4% of posts), it remains an important aspect to highlight as it reflects the pervasive nature of weight bias and stigma [11].”

    From A Qualitative Analysis of Patient Experiences Using Semaglutide 2.4 mg for Weight Loss (2025) · cites this paper as [11]

  • A 2022 meta-analysis found that physicians, nurses, dietitians, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, podiatrists, and exercise physiologists all held implicit or explicit weight-biased attitudes toward people with obesity.

    “A 2022 meta-analysis of studies about weight bias among health-care professionals found that physicians, nurses, dietitians, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, podiatrists, and exercise physiologists all held implicit or explicit (or both), weight-biased attitudes toward people with obesity.65”

    From Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity (2025) · cites this paper as [65]

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Authors
Lawrence, B. J., Kerr, D., Pollard, C. M., Theophilus, M., Alexander, E., Haywood, D., & O’Connor, M.
Affiliations
  • Curtin University (AU)
  • St John of God Health Care (AU)
Corresponding author
Lawrence, Blake J.
ORCID
Venue
Obesity
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2021-09-06
Volume
29
Issue
11
Pages
1802-1812
ISSN
  • 1930-7381 (ISSN-L)
  • 1930-739X
DOI
10.1002/oby.23266
OpenAlex
W3196704058
Cited by
283
References
96
Citations by year
2026: 74 · 2025: 71 · 2024: 76 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 1
FWCI
9.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Obesity (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Obesity and Health Practices
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
Keywords
weight bias, healthcare workers, implicit bias, explicit bias, patient-provider relationship, medical professionals, dietitians, nurses
MeSH terms
Weight Prejudice, Health Personnel, Humans, Obesity, Physicians, Bias

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