Health curriculum traditionally (re)produces obesity discourse, a fusion of biomedical and moral perspectives of weight and fat. This weight-centered approach to bodies may perpetuate weight stigmatization, indirectly supports a culture of thinness, and contradicts other health messages concerning bodies. A Health At Every Size® (HAES®) approach is an alternative, multidimensional health-centered approach that can reconcile the incongruent messages in obesity and eating disorder discourses and may reduce weight stigmatization. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a college personal health curriculum module to promote healthy bodies of all sizes. Discourse positions of teaching assistants were explored through interviews and provided an understanding of their values and teaching methods regarding weight and health. A HAES®-based curriculum module was developed for college personal health classes at a Midwestern university. Quasi-experimental design was used to compare attitudes toward HAES® principles among students who received the alternative, HAES®-based curriculum module versus those receiving a traditional weight management curriculum. Pre- and posttest attitudes of students and teaching assistants were assessed using the Health and Weight Attitudes Scale developed for this study. Teaching assistants provided evaluation of the HAES® module in a focus group. While teaching assistants' discourse positions varied, most used obesity discourse to talk and teach about bodies and weight. Alternative discourses were most common when teaching assistants discussed eating disorders or body image. Students' attitudes at pre-test were slightly positive and did not differ significantly between comparison and intervention groups. Intervention group students' attitudes were significantly more positive than comparison group students' attitudes at posttest. Intervention group teaching assistants reported primarily positive experiences with the module. Teaching assistants rely primarily on obesity discourse to teach about weight and bodies but are receptive and positive when offered an alternative method. A HAES® curriculum module can increase positive attitudes of students and teaching assistants toward promotion of size acceptance and multidimensional health for people of all sizes.

Thesis Representation of fat people in chosen media content is audience research based on perception of thickness, related to characters from three selected czech television series. Fat Studies was primary science literarture source for thesis theory and practical research part is using both, quantitative and qualitative methodology. Quantitative method of data collection were self-serviced questionnaire shared throught internet. Qualitative method used half- structured personal interviews. Thesis is trying to answer, if there is existing correlation between thickness (body constitution) of character and popularity based on character personality. This correlation was statisticaly confirmed only for characters, which are considered strongly obese. Not for any other type of characters. Another findings confirmed, that there is strong positive correlation between popularity of personality and character attractiveness.

Traditional weight loss interventions based on the principle “eat less, move more” often lead to weight regain in the long-term. The Health-At-Every-Size® (HAES®) is an alternative intervention that focuses on self-acceptance, intuitive eating, and physical activity for overall well-being. However, evidence on the effectiveness of HAES® in terms of weight loss remains sparse and the existing systematic reviews did not compare the short-term versus long-term effects. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of HAES® on short- and long-term weight loss in people with obesity and overweight. Five scientific databases were searched and 11 papers met the inclusion criteria. These studies were conducted in Canada, United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, only with female participants, and in a group-setting. Six out of ten studies with short-term follow-ups (<1y) and four out of seven studies with long-term follow-ups (>1y) reported significant weight reductions in the HAES®-group compared to the pre-intervention baseline. There were no consistent weight reduction effects when HAES® was compared to control groups (waiting list, social support, or traditional dieting). Interestingly, some studies found significant benefits of HAES® on health-outcomes, eating behaviors, or psychological functioning. In conclusion, there is only modest evidence that HAES® facilitates weight loss short-term or long-term. However, there are behavioral and psychological benefits of HAES®, which suggests that combining this method with traditional weight loss interventions could result in optimal outcomes.