Addressing Structural Racism, Bias, and Health Communication as Foundational Drivers of Obesity

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Obesity Solutions convened a three-part workshop series that explored how structural racism, weight bias and stigma, and health communication intersect with obesity, gaps in the evidence base, and challenges and opportunities for long-term, systems-wide strategies needed to reduce the incidence and prevalence of obesity. Through diverse examples across different levels and sectors of society, the workshops explored how to leverage the connections between these three drivers and innovative data-driven and policy approaches to inform actionable priorities for individuals, organizations, and policymakers to make lasting systems change. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction 2 An Introduction to the Intersection of Structural Racism, Biased Mental Models, Stigma, Weight Bias, and Effective Health Communication with Obesity Solutions 3 The Intersection of Structural Racism and Obesity 4 The Intersection of Biased Mental Models, Stigma, Weight Bias, and Obesity 5 Reflections on the Intersections of Structural Racism, Biased Mental Models, Stigma, and Weight Bias with Obesity 6 Operationalizing Health Communication for Obesity Solutions 7 Data-Driven Obesity Solutions and Innovative Approaches 8 Innovative Policy Solutions 9 Reflections on Equity-Centered Approaches to Reducing the Prevalence of Obesity 10 Leveraging Data for Systems Change: Connecting Obesity and Its Underlying Determinants 11 Systems Applications to Address Structural Barriers to Obesity Solutions 12 Policy Solutions for Nutrition Security and Obesity 13 A Multisector Conversation on Systems-Levels Changes for Obesity Solutions 14 PatientProvider Communication around Obesity Treatment and Solutions References Appendix A: Workshop Agendas Appendix B: Acronyms and Abbreviations Appendix C: Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers and Planning Committee Members