Purpose: In recent years, issues related to body image, fat shaming, and societal perceptions of weight have gained more attention in educational discourse (Carmona-Márquez, "et al.," 2023; Dark and Aphramor, 2023; Nutter, Ireland, Alberga, "et al.," 2019; Schorb, 2022). The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of…

Weight bias is a widespread and persistent form of oppression that adversely impacts the lives of individuals with obesity in many areas of society. In this paper, we discuss the implications of weight bias as a social justice issue for counsellor education and practice. We provide recommendations for professional education, including the need to…

As noted in the first article in this National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Social Justice Committee (SJC) series on health disparities (see Proctor et al., 2020), health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially…

Overweight and obesity are national epidemics affecting 42.4% of adults in the U.S.; with the southeastern region exhibiting higher obesity rates than most other regions in the U.S. (National Center for Health Statistics, 2020; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Alabama ranks 3rd…

This article presents an analytic approach to assessing the relationship between policy advocacy activities and outcomes for discrete episodes of advocacy, using a holistic array of factors that affect the relationship between advocacy and policy change. The factors pertain to not only advocacy organizational structure and strategies, but also the…

The purpose of this research project was to explore coverage of obesity-related topics in the early years of "Journal of Home Economics (JHE)." Utilizing HEARTH, a Boolean search for obesity-related terms and topics was used to analyze volumes beginning with 1909, continuing to 1910, and every five years to 1940. Coverage of the obesity…

Effectively addressing wicked problems requires collaborative, embedded action. But, in many cases, scholarly commitments, social justice, privilege, and precarity collide in ways that make it difficult for community-engaged scholars to ethically navigate competing duties. This article presents our efforts to support reciprocal community…

Engaging youth from racial and ethnic minority communities as leaders for change is a potential strategy to mobilize support for addressing childhood obesity, but there are limited curricula designed to help youth understand the complex influences on obesity. Our aim was to develop and pilot test a systems science curriculum to elicit rural…

There is much attention placed on closing the achievement gap among socioeconomically disadvantaged students. However, what some may fail to take into account is the impact of poor quality, low-nutrition foods and limited access to physical activity on children's academic outcomes. Disadvantaged youth are at risk for poor nutrition and limited…

The need for school-based interventions targeting the childhood obesity epidemic has been well documented. The risk factors associated with childhood obesity are physical, mental, psychosocial, academic, and economic. With training in developing comprehensive programs and interventions, professional school counselors are positioned to assist…

Great anticipation surrounded the release of the first ever Surgeon General's report on physical activity and health in 1996. The report stated that physical activity can contribute significantly to overall levels of health and the quality of life for all Americans. However, since the report's release, little has improved in the health status of…

New concepts of PE and sports programs are making it more fun for everyone to play. Diets featuring fast food, sugary soft drinks and declining physical activity have contributed to a tripling of childhood obesity rates in the United States in the last 30 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Today, nearly a third of American…

Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern. Since 1960, the prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States increased dramatically from 5% to 16.9%. To date many interventions to address obesity in schools have focused on healthy changes to the content of vending machines, school lunches, and the addition of after school…

Despite overwhelming and increasing evidence of a children's obesity epidemic, public schools have been slow to respond with any sense of urgency. Ironically, as the epidemic worsens, there have been more instances of physical education program cuts--the principle school subject that has the potential to combat this epidemic. This author contends…

Starting to be implemented as of the 1960s, early intervention programs are frequently employed at the present time. Researchers develop and implement early intervention programs in various subjects and areas. These programs may be family-based, school-based, community-based, or a combination of them. This study aimed at comparing the early…