Open research questions in Obesity and Health Practices
78 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,245 Obesity and Health Practices papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
Introduction and Objective: GLP-1 RAs are increasingly used for WL, yet little is known about how PwO experience and personalize treatment in everyday life.
2614-P: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Dosing Practices among People Living with Obesity (PwO) Using Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1RAs) for Weight Loss (WL): A U.S. Qualitative Study · 2026 · DOIThis scoping review provides, to our knowledge, the first systematic mapping of how OSS are used across health professions education. By synthesizing evidence from a range of professional fields, including medicine, nurs- ing, nutrition, physiotherapy, and other allied health disciplines, the review offers an overview of diverse edu- cational applications. A further strength is the inclusion of both peer-reviewed and grey literature, which enabled the identification of emerging practices that may not yet be represented in indexed databases. The inclusion of studies from several countries also reflects the growing international interest in simulation-based approaches to obesity education. Several limitations should be considered. As is char- acteristic of scoping reviews, the aim was to map the breadth of available evidence rather than to formally assess study quality; therefore, conclusions regarding effectiveness should be interpreted with caution. The number of included studies was limited, and interven- tions varied considerably in design, duration, learner population, and outcome measures. This heterogene- ity restricted comparability across studies and contrib- uted to the mixed findings observed, particularly with regard to attitudes and empathy. In addition, OSS were frequently embedded within multicomponent educa- tional interventions, making it difficult to determine the specific contribution of the simulation suit to reported outcomes. Finally, most studies relied on self-reported measures assessed immediately after the intervention, with little or no long-term follow-up, limiting insights into sustained learning or behavioural change.
[PCOM] has a very robust IPE program and a new 4-module virtual self-paced pre-work series on weight bias is being developed as another offering within the program. The series will focus on obesity education, including improving awareness and knowledge of weight bias in health care. 1. What skills do you believe are essential for addressing weight bias/obesity education in this module series? 2. What teaching methods do you think would be most effective in delivering content on weight bias ? 3. How can we best ensure that students are not only learning about weight bias but are also applying that knowledge in practice? (IRB-FY2025-115).
[PCOM] has a very robust IPE program and a new 4-module selfpaced pre-work series on weight bias is being developed as another offering within the program. What do you think are the most important topics you would want to see included in such a program? What professional or group of professionals would you think are most suited to deliver this training to medical students? Table 2 Sample Semi-Structured Focus Group Questions for Faculty Section 1: Medical School Education on Weight Bias and Gaps 1. Do you know of any areas in the curriculum where obesity education, and specifically weight bias, is addressed? If so, can you tell us how it was incorporated into the curriculum, delivered as a standalone offering, or as provided as a program outside of the curriculum? 2. Do you think the way obesity as a disease and weight bias is addressed in medical school prepares students well for conducting sensitive weight-related conversations in clinical practice? 3. From your perspective, what gaps, if any, in the curriculum do you see regarding obesity, weight-related health issues, and/or weight bias?
Tracy L. Oliver1 Margaret Brace1 · Lisa K. Diewald1,2 · Gail E. Furman1 · Stephanie Felgoise3 · Rebecca Shenkman1,2 · Austin Kanyuh4 · Renata Brito-Cherrin3 · Received: 22 January 2026 / Accepted: 14 April 2026 © The Author(s)…
Building on these findings, future research should evaluate the impact of structured weight bias education on learner outcomes and observed patient care. Longitudinal studies are needed to assess whether interventions such as e-learning modules lead to sustained improvements in attitudes, com- munication skills, and clinical behaviors. E-learning offers flexibility, scalability, and the ability to incorporate interac- tive elements such as videos, quizzes, and reflective exer- cises that promote deeper engagement. These modules can serve as a consistent and accessible tool for reinforcing bias awareness and clinical competencies across diverse learning environments. Additionally, expanding this work to include interprofessional education and diverse healthcare settings would provide a more comprehensive understanding of how to reduce weight bias across the continuum of care. From a practice standpoint, medical schools should consider embedding weight bias education into competency-based assessments and licensure examination-relevant content to ensure engagement and accountability. Ultimately, align- ing educational strategies with institutional priorities and national standards will be critical for promoting equitable, patient-centered care for individuals living with obesity.
The study documents reduced implicit bias and increased self-awareness of biases regarding obesity, but does not assess whether these attitudinal changes in medical students correlate with measurable improvements in clinical outcomes (e.g., patient satisfaction, treatment adherence, weight loss) or reduce internalized weight stigma experienced by patients with obesity receiving care from trained students.
The Impactful Weight of Treating Beyond the Scale: A Comprehensive Course to Improve Obesity Care Among Medical Students · 2026 · DOITable 2 shows significant postcourse improvements in nutrition knowledge and knowledge about patient-centered language (both starting at 2.3 M precourse), but the paper does not specify which specific nutrition approaches, dietary counseling frameworks, or evidence-based weight management strategies were emphasized in the curriculum content, making it unclear what specific nutritional competencies students acquired.
The Impactful Weight of Treating Beyond the Scale: A Comprehensive Course to Improve Obesity Care Among Medical Students · 2026 · DOIThe study demonstrates improvements in self-reported comfort with patient-centered language and bias awareness, but does not include direct observation of student-patient interactions, standardized patient encounter recordings, or feedback from actual patients with obesity regarding whether the curriculum produces measurable changes in communication quality and reduced weight stigma during real clinical encounters.
The Impactful Weight of Treating Beyond the Scale: A Comprehensive Course to Improve Obesity Care Among Medical Students · 2026 · DOIThe comprehensive obesity curriculum intervention was delivered to medical students within a single CU2RE program summer semester context; the generalizability and effectiveness of this course structure across diverse medical school curricula, different institutional settings, and varying student populations (e.g., different training levels, specialties, or geographic regions) has not been empirically evaluated.
The Impactful Weight of Treating Beyond the Scale: A Comprehensive Course to Improve Obesity Care Among Medical Students · 2026 · DOIAs CBPR methodologies share a commitment towards critical, emancipatory, and social action research, the potential intersection with Fat Studies is noteworthy, however limited literature at this intersection exists.
Innovative thinking could become the basis for acceptable alternative payment models for LM practitioners, such as 'residuals payments' for disease reversal, which needs further development and implementation.
The BZWI will endeavor to leverage promising discoveries into meaningful changes to policies and reimbursement to create sustainability for lifestyle medicine.
The Blue Zones Well-Being Institute will conduct randomized controlled trials comparing whole-foods, plant-based diets to Mediterranean diets for chronic conditions, indicating a need for expanded scientific evidence underpinning FAM.
LM has reimbursement challenges with physicians often trying to work around a CPT coding system that was not originally intended for LM, an approach that has proven to be inefficient and unsustainable.
Although more payers are open to the concept of FAM and ways to pay for these services, many FAM initiatives are still funded through grants and charities rather than established payment mechanisms.
Need for physicians to form alliances across fields and identity groups, with emphasis on those at the center of intersecting systems, particularly for BIPOC populations with obesity.
While the paper establishes lifestyle medicine as a Longitudinal Curricular Theme at UCF COM, it does not specify mechanisms for evaluating whether embedded lifestyle medicine content across multiple courses produces measurable differences in student knowledge retention, clinical behavior change, or long-term practice patterns compared to traditional single-course instruction.
The proposed educational partnership between UCF COM and Lake Nona Center for well-being to develop practicum experiences in lifestyle medicine lacks specification of what competencies should be assessed, which clinical settings should host these practicum placements, or what measurable outcomes would demonstrate successful integration.
The paper mentions investigating how the pandemic affected the sleep habits of preclinical medical students at UCF COM, but provides no specific data on sleep metrics, assessment instruments, or comparison timepoints (pre-pandemic vs. pandemic-affected cohorts) that were used or should be used in this investigation.
The paper discusses medication adjustment and review during group consultations but does not systematically document the extent to which medications were reduced or eliminated across the patient cohort, or identify predictive factors for medication discontinuation. Future research should quantify medication burden reduction and determine which baseline characteristics, lifestyle behaviours, or comorbidity profiles predict successful medication de-escalation in lifestyle medicine group consultation settings.
Living Well with Lifestyle Medicine: A group consultation approach to delivering Lifestyle Medicine Intervention in Primary Care · 2021 · DOIThe programme was specifically designed to be led by a physician with expertise in lifestyle medicine, and the paper notes that specialist clinical leadership provides support to allied health professionals. However, there is no empirical comparison of outcomes between physician-led group consultations versus allied health professional-led sessions, or investigation of the minimum required level of physician involvement to achieve comparable cost-effectiveness and clinical benefits.
Living Well with Lifestyle Medicine: A group consultation approach to delivering Lifestyle Medicine Intervention in Primary Care · 2021 · DOIThe paper identifies a complex inter-relationship among patient perception of well-being, confidence, motivation to make lifestyle changes, and objective physiological parameters, but does not specify which mechanisms drive the positive psychology effects observed. Future research should use longitudinal mediation analysis to determine whether improved health perceptions directly increase confidence and motivation, or whether weight loss is the primary driver of psychological improvements in lifestyle medicine group consultations.
Living Well with Lifestyle Medicine: A group consultation approach to delivering Lifestyle Medicine Intervention in Primary Care · 2021 · DOIThe regression analysis showing a positive relationship between health perception and weight reduction is based on results from a very small-scale pilot programme, which the authors acknowledge is not conclusive. Larger-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm whether weight reduction is a primary mediator of improved health perception in lifestyle medicine group consultations, and to determine effect sizes across diverse patient populations with multiple long-term conditions.
Living Well with Lifestyle Medicine: A group consultation approach to delivering Lifestyle Medicine Intervention in Primary Care · 2021 · DOIThe paper makes illustrative QALY calculations using an 'area under the curve' method with conservative assumptions that benefits wholly disappear after 18 months or 4 years with constant decay rates, but these assumptions have not been empirically validated in this specific lifestyle medicine group consultation model. Future research must prospectively track participants beyond 4 years to determine the actual decay trajectory of lifestyle medicine benefits in primary care group settings.
Living Well with Lifestyle Medicine: A group consultation approach to delivering Lifestyle Medicine Intervention in Primary Care · 2021 · DOI
Most-cited papers in Obesity and Health Practices
- Lifestyle modification approaches for the treatment of obesity in adults. · American Psychologist · 2020 · 574 citations
- Obesity Metaphors: How Beliefs about the Causes of Obesity Affect Support for Public Policy · Milbank Quarterly · 2009 · 222 citations
- Nurses’ attitudes towards adult patients who are obese: literature review · Journal of Advanced Nursing · 2006 · 145 citations
- An Evidence‐Based Rationale for Adopting Weight‐Inclusive Health Policy · Social Issues and Policy Review · 2020 · 142 citations
- The Stigma of Obesity · Sociological Quarterly · 1968 · 127 citations
- Women’s stories of their experiences as overweight patients · Journal of Advanced Nursing · 2008 · 103 citations
- Patient-Centered Care for Obesity: How Health Care Providers Can Treat Obesity While Actively Addressing Weight Stigma and Eating Disorder Risk · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics · 2022 · 102 citations
- Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine and its Evolution · Mayo Clinic Proceedings Innovations Quality & Outcomes · 2024 · 101 citations
- Who Pays for Obesity? · The Journal of Economic Perspectives · 2011 · 89 citations
- Primary care nurses’ attitudes, beliefs and own body size in relation to obesity management · Journal of Advanced Nursing · 2007 · 81 citations
Most recent work
- Critical Health Education for Weight Inclusivity in Schools: Part 2 · Journal of Physical Education Recreation & Dance · 2026
- Critical Health Education for Weight Inclusivity in Schools: Part 1 · Journal of Physical Education Recreation & Dance · 2026
- Lifestyle Medicine and Culinary Medicine: Important Synergies and Deep Connections · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · 2026
- Governance and Update Process for Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies and Definitions · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · 2026
- A Content Analysis of Web Pages on “Weight-Loss Injections” · Cerasus Journal of Medicine · 2026
- Analysis of Obesity Care in Spanish Healthcare Settings: OBEQUIDAD Study · Obesity Science & Practice · 2026
- The Impactful Weight of Treating Beyond the Scale: A Comprehensive Course to Improve Obesity Care Among Medical Students · Family Medicine · 2026
- Weight “regain” in obesity shifts responsibility from biology to personal inadequacy · BMJ · 2026
- Weight Bias Education in Medical Training: Insights from Stakeholder Perspectives · Medical Science Educator · 2026
- Stigma and bias in the care of people living with obesity: An interview with Dr. Sean Wharton · University of Toronto Medical Journal · 2026
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