Weight Bias Interventions for Healthcare Professionals: An Integrative Review.
Gregory S Marler, Melanie T Turk, Melissa Kalarchian and 3 others
PMID 40387345WHAT IT FOUND
Active, repeated, multi-component training reduced clinicians' weight bias attitudes more than passive videos or written modules.
Implicit bias was harder to change, and one large physiotherapy seminar worsened negative attitudes.
Key findings
01Active, multi-component, in-person approaches were more often linked to improved explicit weight bias attitudes and beliefs than passive videos or written modules.
02Implicit weight bias was less responsive than explicit weight bias, and the size and duration of change were unclear.
03Among physiotherapists, small-group active learning reported practice changes, but a one-day large seminar worsened negative weight bias attitudes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The review studied healthcare providers, not patients, so it does not show that training improved patient care or health outcomes. Only 3 included studies were randomised, and many were single cohort, quasi-experimental, or qualitative. Sample sizes ranged from 7 to 506, and some studies were small. Thirteen studies were rated high quality and three were rated moderate, but the first author alone assessed quality. No dominant weight bias measurement tool was identified, so studies did not all measure the same thing. The size and duration of any weight bias reduction were not well understood.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as proof that weight bias training improves patient care or health outcomes. It measured provider attitudes and beliefs, only 3 included studies were randomised, and several passive approaches showed no change.