2026/07/23 by Rebecca Shenkman, Tracy L. Oliver, Margaret Brace +4
Health Professions · Medicine · #Healthcare cost, quality, practices #Obesity and Health Practices #Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
paper · doi:10.1080/10401334.2026.2706833
openalex publication_date 2026/07/23 · openalex created_date 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/24
Obesity is a leading public health concern in the United States, yet medical education continues to inadequately prepare future providers to manage it as a complex, chronic disease. Compounding this issue is the pervasive presence of weight bias in healthcare, which contributes to poorer patient outcomes, diminished quality of care, and reduced patient engagement. Despite growing awareness, obesity and weight bias education remain inconsistently integrated into medical curricula, often lacking structured, longitudinal, and competency-based approaches. While frameworks such as those developed by the Obesity Medicine Education Collaborative have advanced obesity-related competencies, weight bias remains underrepresented, with few formalized competencies guiding its instruction or assessment. Current efforts to reduce weight bias among medical school students are fragmented and often short-term. Interventions such as didactic modules, simulation-based experiences, and reflective exercises have shown promise in improving attitudes, yet most lack explicit mapping to weight bias competencies and fail to assess observable clinical behaviors. Weight bias education is rarely positioned as a core clinical skill, and standardized methods for competency assessment are virtually absent. In this article, we first review the current state of obesity and weight bias education in medical education and, second, reflect on experiences in developing the Weight of Words educational model, rooted in competency-based assessment and using our original instrument, the Weight Sensitivity Instrument (WSI©). We propose a theory-based approach informed by best practices, called the Weight of Words model, for weight bias education. The four-part educational model includes: (1) content delivery; (2) experiential learning; (3) reflection; and (4) competency assessment. The model represents a novel contribution to medical education by operationalizing weight bias competencies within a scalable, pedagogically rigorous framework and thus has far-reaching implications for medical practice. Without adequate training, future providers may unknowingly perpetuate stigma, erode patient trust, and compromise care quality. Addressing weight bias is essential for improving individual patient-provider interactions and for advancing health equity across the healthcare system.