In this issue:

GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Medications: Informed Consent Resource for Patients

Bring MSSI to your school: MSSI Chapters and Affiliates

Resources for Anti Weight Bias Advocacy as a Medical Student 

Sticker and Button Fundraiser

Call for Abstracts: 10th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference

New Research in Weight Stigma and Disordered Eating

The Latest from Instagram and Threads

GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Resource for Patients

We have seen the huge increase in GLP-1 agonist prescriptions specifically aimed at promoting weight loss, and are concerned that patients may receive misleading or insufficient information from their healthcare providers before being started on them.

While MSSI does not believe weight & BMI are accurate measures of health, or that weight loss improves health outcomes, we also champion patient autonomy. Weight discrimination permeates so many aspects of society, and the physical and mental harm it directly causes fat people is immeasurable and far-reaching.

Our goal is to give patients desiring to start medications to lose weight a more comprehensive understanding of the risks and benefits associated. Knowing what alternatives are available is part of full informed consent, so we also include evidence-based options for improving health that do not require weight loss.

Interested in bringing Medical Students for Size Inclusivity to your school?

Click below for those wanting to form a chapter of Medical Students for Size Inclusivity (MSSI) at your school, or affiliate an existing organization at your school with MSSI.

Once received, a member of MSSI will reach out with additional details, and our Chapter & Affiliate Application form!

Resources for Anti Weight Bias Advocacy as a Medical Student 

Are you a medical student or related health professions student interested in advocating for size inclusive care and education at your school? Here are some resources you might find helpful!

Jessica Mui, MSSI President and MS-3 at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, has created a 30-minute video, presentation, and resource list for medical students.

Size Inclusivity Stickers and Buttons

MSSI has begun to fundraise, starting with some size-inclusivity stickers! We hope to use our funds to further the initiatives we have started, including compensating MSSI speakers for their time and effort & purchasing size inclusive equipment for local clinics.

Team member Jessica Mui started a small online shop, and has dedicated a page to MSSI. Please visit the site below for more details, and to shop or donate. 90% of the sales of any of the items below will go towards MSSI. Thank you for supporting our work!

Call for Abstracts: 10th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference

16–17 JUNE 2024, COLCHESTER, UK & ONLINE

Deadline for abstract submission: February 23, 2024

The Annual International Weight Stigma Conference is an interdisciplinary event that brings together scholars and practitioners from a range of backgrounds (e.g., public health, government and public policy, psychology, medicine, sociology, anthropology, allied health professions, education, sports and exercise science, social sciences, media studies, business, law, activism, and the lay public) to consider research, policy, rhetoric, and practice around the issue of weight stigma.

They are now accepting abstracts for oral presentations and posters, as well as session proposals including brief symposia, round tables, debates, and workshops. They are also interested in non-traditional submissions (e.g., media, performance, art). The two-day interdisciplinary programme will cover the entire weight stigma research spectrum – from basic, to applied, to clinical, to policy – and feature an outstanding roster of international speakers and local experts.

The organizers invite contributions across a wide range of disciplines and methodological and theoretical approaches. International voices discussing the situation in countries other than the US are particularly welcome. Equally so are intersectional approaches and perspectives from other marginalized groups. Students are especially encouraged to submit proposals.

Visit the abstract submission page for more information.

Research Spotlight: Review finds consistent relationship between weight stigma and disordered eating

Researchers released a study entitled ‘A systematic review of weight stigma and disordered eating cognitions and behaviors’ in the journal Body Image on January 25, 2024. 

The review of 242 studies on weight stigma and disordered eating found that each dimension of weight stigma (experienced, anticipated, and internalized) was associated with disordered eating outcomes.

The authors suggest that efforts should be made to eliminate weight stigma at all levels. They emphasize that efforts to eliminate weight stigma are a critical public health and social justice issue.

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