Table 1 Examples of interventions to prevent weight bias, organized using the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ intervention ladder as a framework [52]

Restrict choice.

• Develop legislation to prohibit weight discrimination [48] (U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Iceland)

• Implement anti-discrimination laws against bullying in schools and weight discrimination in the employment and healthcare sectors [62] (U.S.A.)

• Mandatory post-secondary curricula and appropriate training on weight-related issues for pre-service student teachers, health professionals and public health practitioners [58, 62, 63] (Canada, U.S.A., Iceland, Australia)

• Formal training for coaches to prevent eating disorders in sports [62] (U.S.A.)

• Mandatory implementation of evidence-based body appreciation, media literacy and eating disorder prevention programs in schools [62, 64] (U.S.A.)

• Ban digital modification of images that glamorize thinness in women and muscularity in men in the media [65] (Australia)

Guide choice through disincentives.

• Implement penalties for evidence of weight discrimination in employment, healthcare and education sectors (e.g., charging schemes in the employment and healthcare sectors, exclusion from extra-curricular activities for youth in schools)

Guide choice through incentives.

• Offer awards, fiscal or other incentives for the promotion of wellbeing and body inclusivity in the education, healthcare and employment sectors (e.g., a school board could offer an award or recognition for schools that implement body inclusivity in their teaching and learning practices)

Guide choice through changing the default policy.

• Devise media and journalism guidelines for prohibiting gender-based and weight-based stereotypes in the media [66] (U.S.A.) (e.g., stop portraying women of size eating ice cream to cope with mental health issues)

• Depict positive stereotypes of people living with obesity in the media [67] (U.S.A.)

Enable choice.

• Modify the built environment to accommodate individuals of all weights [68] (U.S.A.) (e.g., chairs in waiting rooms, staircases, airplane seats, hospital beds, clothing uniforms and exercise equipment)

• Offer an evidence-based school program geared towards positive body image, acceptance of body diversity and prevention of weight-related issues [64] (U.S.A.)

Provide information.

• Create flyers and posters that promote positive body image and body diversity and distribute them in schools

• Disseminate population health campaigns to address weight bias [69] (Australia)

Do nothing or simply monitor the situation

• Monitor the prevalence of weight bias in different sectors (i.e., education, healthcare, employment)

• Do nothing