Weight Bias Nature, Consequences, and Remedies

Discrimination based on body shape and size remains commonplace in today's society. This important volume explores the nature, causes, and consequences of weight bias and presents a range of approaches to combat it. Leading psychologists, health professionals, attorneys, and advocates cover such critical topics as the barriers facing obese adults and children in health care, work, and school settings; how to conceptualize and measure weight-related stigmatization; theories on how stigma develops; the impact on self-esteem and health, quite apart from the physiological effects of obesity; and strategies for reducing prejudice and bringing about systemic change.

Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. He has served as president of several national organizations and has published 14 books and more than 250 scientific articles and chapters. His book [i]Food Fight[/i] addresses issues of public policy and nutrition.

Rebecca M. Puhl, PhD, is a researcher with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University and a clinician at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center. Her research focuses on weight stigma and on societal and behavioral contributors to obesity.

Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD, is Deputy Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University and Co-chair of the Weight Bias Task Force of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. Her research focuses on the stigma of obesity and environmental factors that contribute to poor nutrition for children. She is a coauthor of [i]Helping Your Child Overcome an Eating Disorder: What You Can Do at Home[/i].

Leslie Rudd is the owner and CEO of Leslie Rudd Investment Company, a privately held organization based in California. He is also the owner of Dean & DeLuca, the New York-based epicurean food store; Rudd Vineyards & Winery; PRESS restaurant in Napa Valley; and Distillery No. 209 in San Francisco. In 2005, Mr. Rudd founded the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University to expand the obesity-related work started by The Rudd Institute in 1999.