Mapping Out Directions for Weight Bias Research
The International Journal of Obesity has published a map for future directions in weight bias research. The quality and global diversity of thinking that went into the summit which produced this roadmap is exceptional. The source of this thinking was the International Weight Bias Summit last year in Montreal at Concordia University. Support for the summit came from a wide range of organizations. This included Concordia, Université Laval, Bias180, Obesity Canada, the Obesity Society, the World Obesity Federation, and the European Association for the Study of Obesity.
The summit identified six key directions for the future of the vital research:
• Clarity in concepts and methods
• Interventions
• Implementation science
• Policy
• Diversity in sampling, cultures, and settings
• Consequences of weight bias
Remarkable Progress
Rebecca Puhl is widely regarded as perhaps the singular most important individual propelling progress in the field of weight bias research. Reflecting on this summit, she told us:
“When I started in this field, the idea of an international summit would have been impossible because there weren’t enough people. There weren’t enough people even for a local summit. Or a carpool. If we look at the amount of research that has happened since then, it is remarkable.”
Of course, she is right. Perhaps most remarkable is the wide recognition that we have so much more work to do. This is because pervasive bias is baked into healthcare systems and the approach of those systems to dealing with obesity. Or more often, not actually dealing with it. Overcoming this bias and the stigma attached to obesity is essential for continuing the stunning progress we are making in reducing the harms of obesity.
Click here for the new paper in IJO and here for the full report on the 2024 International Weight Bias Summit. For more on the pervasive bias in health systems, click here.
Schönbrunn Garden Labyrinth, photograph by Andrea Schaufler, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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December 13, 2025
