Date of Award

Spring 6-12-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Social Work

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Social Work

First Advisor

Erin Harrop

Second Advisor

Tyrone Hamler

Third Advisor

Lisa Brownstone Libby

Fourth Advisor

Trisha Racque

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Intervention, Weight stigma

Abstract

Weight stigma interventions have demonstrated inconsistent effects and often rely on individual-level approaches with limited attention to structural and theoretical dimensions of stigma. This three-manuscript dissertation integrating systematic review, qualitative inquiry, and longitudinal pilot evaluation examined the conceptualization, implementation, and outcomes of weight stigma interventions.

Manuscript 1 employed PRISMA-guided systematic review methods and Kmet quality assessment criteria to synthesize 102 explicit weight stigma interventions, examining intervention characteristics, effectiveness, theoretical foundations, and pathologizing assumptions. Findings indicated that most interventions were educational, targeted student populations, and emphasized individual-level attitude change. Few studies assessed behavioral outcomes, and interventions grounded in critical or weight-inclusive frameworks were more likely to challenge pathologizing assumptions about weight.

Manuscript 2 used reflexive thematic analysis informed by narrative inquiry to explore social work students’ experiences in an anti-oppressive weight stigma course grounded in critical consciousness and transformative learning. Findings highlighted the emotional, relational, and iterative nature of unlearning weight stigma, including processes of vulnerability, critical reflection, and evolving awareness.

Manuscript 3 evaluated the pilot outcomes of this course using a longitudinal pre-, post-, and follow-up design assessing weight stigma attitudes, diet culture critical consciousness, and related psychosocial outcomes. Results demonstrated improvements in several domains, including increased activism orientation, heightened critical perspectives of weight-centric health, reduced internalized weight stigma, increased body acceptance and body image flexibility, and decreased eating disorder symptomology, with some changes sustained over time. Interestingly, course content emphasizing lived experiences of weight stigma appeared to have particularly strong and sustained effects on internalized attitudes. While several improvements were sustained at follow-up, some explicit attitudinal changes appeared less stable over time, suggesting ongoing tension between course learning and broader sociocultural reinforcement of weight stigma.

Collectively, findings suggest that theoretically coherent, relational, and educational approaches may offer more meaningful avenues for addressing weight stigma than interventions focused solely on individual attitudes. This dissertation contributes to emerging efforts to develop theoretically grounded, structurally informed, and relational approaches to weight stigma intervention research and education.

Copyright Date

6-2026

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Sarah Ann Sullivan

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

430 pgs

File Size

3.4 MB

Download

Available for download on Sunday, July 09, 2028



Share

COinS