Weight centrism in research on Children's active transport to school

Abstract

IntroductionWeight-bias is defined as negative weight-related attitudes, assumptions and judgments toward individuals living in a body labelled overweight or obese. Its impact on mental and physical health outcomes is well documented. Examples of weight-bias abound in cultural and societal contexts, with people in larger bodies regularly shamed and excluded by an unforgiving social narrative. The presence of weight-bias in research, however, is more subtle. It is propagated by a weight-centric approach to research design which prioritises the prevention of weight gain, contrary to scientific evidence suggesting an urgent need to decouple health from weight. MethodThis article brings the concept of weight-centrism to the attention of scholars and professionals seeking to understand the links between transport and human health. A series of evidence-based tenets of weight-centrism are used to develop a set of four expressions of weight centrism, which is then applied to 107 scholarly papers on children's active transport. The review found that 79% of studies displayed at least one expression of weight centrism, with over half exhibiting at least three. The paper discusses the empirical, personal and professional impacts of an overt focus on children's weight in this body of work. Resultsand conclusions: Scholars and professionals working at the intersections of transport and health should be aware of the regimes of truth underpinning their activities, and seek to minimise perpetuation of associated harms. Weight centrism represents one such regime that has, to date, escaped the attention of scholars and practitioners working in this space.