Jillian Barend

Abstract:

In recent years, implicit biases regarding race, disability, and sexuality have decreased, while biases about body size have increased (Charlesworth & Banaji, 2019). Here, we searched for weight-related keywords in eight Lifespan Development textbooks. We tallied instances of these terms, discovering that reference to high body size is far greater than low, though both are associated with health risk factors. We hypothesize this difference is due to bias towards high-weight people (Puhl, et al., 2009) rather than the totality of research, given that rigorous studies have shown that underweight people have the highest hazard ratios (Flagel, et al., 2013). We suggest textbooks focus less on matters of weight and more on modifiable behaviors, including exercise, sleep, stress reduction, and balanced diet.