UVM ‘weight-inclusive’ curriculum teaches students to oppose ‘diet culture’
University of Vermont (UVM) researchers have developed a “Weight-Inclusive” curriculum that teaches high school students to oppose “diet culture.” The project has received funding from the public university and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The Weight-Inclusive Nutrition (WIN) Collaborative says it is in the process of developing similar lessons for middle school students.
The page states that a “weight-inclusive approach to nutrition is associated with improvements in eating behavior, body image, anti-fat bias, and mental health outcomes.” One WIN Collaborative project examines how various forms of media and “figures in popular culture” participate in “diet culture.”
“It is important to understand how consumers of media and fans of popular figures are affected by dialogue around food, bodies, weight, and health,” a description says.
The WIN Collaborative defines “weight inclusivity” as an approach that accepts that “weight is not a primary indicator of health and people of all sizes can be healthy.”
“Weight-inclusive approaches often also recognize the social determinants of health, and the impact of anti-fat bias on health by promoting policies and approaches that combat anti-fat bias and inequalities in access to care,” the definition adds.
The WIN Collaborative has received financial support from several funding avenues.
USDA Hatch funds supported research examining a weight-inclusive approach to nutrition education. An October 2024 academic article examining support for a “weight-inclusive curriculum” states that the study “was funded through the USDA HATCH” program.
A subsequent article from March 2026 on “deconstructing the weight-normative narrative” also identifies USDA Hatch as a supporter.
In October 2025, UVM’s Office of the Vice President for Research announced that the researchers associated with the WIN Collaborative would receive a $25,000 grant. The project that received that grant was titled “Using a Sport-For-Health Model to Address Disordered Eating in High School.”
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