7 Best Support Organizations for Health at Every Size
These well-being groups promote body positivity and overall health education while also helping to shift narratives around body size discrimination and diet culture.
While body positivity and acceptance are becoming more ubiquitous, our society admittedly has a long way to go. Not only do constant weight-biased messages of the ideal body permeate media and advertising but even healthcare providers and people in our own social circles can inadvertently discriminate against large bodies.
What Is Weight Stigma and How Does It Affect People?
Weight stigma refers to one’s social devaluation and denigration due to excess body weight. It can lead to stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, among other negative experiences, and is seriously concerning for overall individual and societal health.
According to the special report "Weight Loss Reframed," published by Everyday Health in January 2024, which surveyed 3,144 people living in the United States about their experiences and perceptions on weight loss, one-quarter of all respondents said social media negatively impacted them, and it was not uncommon to call themselves “overweight” or “fat.” Additionally, one-third of participants had experienced shame for their weight from someone close to them. And most responded that weight affected their self-image, and reaching a goal or “normal” weight would increase their happiness.
In regard to healthcare, a recent review found that obesity stigma contributes to poorer treatment for people in larger bodies, and there’s growing evidence that healthcare providers have strong biases, both implicit and explicit, against people with obesity. This raises concerns about the future of provider-patient relationships and care outcomes for patients dealing with weight-related issues, especially women, gender nonconforming people, people of color, and people experiencing socioeconomic challenges, because a provider’s weight stigma may couple with other biases.
“This discrimination stems from systemic fat phobia that severely, negatively impacts the quality of life for large-bodied people,” says Lisa N. Folden, a doctor of physical therapy, a National Academy of Sports Medicine–certified behavior change specialist, an antidiet health and body image coach, and the owner of Healthy Phit Physical Therapy and Wellness Consultants in Charlotte, North Carolina. Programs like the Health at Every Size (HAES) principles — a weight-inclusive healthcare model — may help deter this discrimination and stigma, Dr. Folden explains.
Finding Support for Health at Every Size
One way to access resources and connections with like-minded individuals is through support organizations, many of which abide by the HAES principles.
“Support organizations can assist in spreading the message of body positivity or neutrality and HAES by embracing body diversity,” says Folden. “This means centering the voices, opinions, and experiences of people in large and diverse bodies. This means improving representation so that [overweight] people aren’t an afterthought or continuously ignored or shamed. And it also means speaking out against body shaming, supporting antidiet platforms, and embracing fitness for its significant benefits (not body changes).”
Many support organizations working to increase awareness about healthy bodies at every size offer services, education, and other tools that individuals can access for better well-being. Such support is important for anyone, “but especially people who live in large bodies, women, girls, and anyone who lacks the resources and knowledge to fully embody body neutrality or positivity and true self-love,” says Folden.
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Here are seven support organizations for health at every size to consider incorporating into your health and wellness journey.
1. Association for Size Diversity and Health
Founded in 2003, the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) is a nonprofit organization and the steward of the HAES principles. Its mission is to educate and advocate for antidiscrimination against body weight. Not only does the ASDAH work to eliminate body shaming and discrimination, but it opposes the body mass index (BMI), a subjective tool based on body weight and height, as a measurement of health. Learn more about this movement through the organization’s Abolish the BMI Coalition.
Paid members of the ASDAH can connect with other members and businesses worldwide.If you’re looking for a dietitian, counselor, or other healthcare provider who follows HAES principles, the ASDAH offers a directory where you can browse by expert type and location. Note: The ASDAH owns the trademark to Health at Every Size.
2. National Eating Disorders Association
As perhaps the leading organization fighting against eating disorder development, the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) also works to support body acceptance and body diversity awareness. In fact, the NEDA advocates for the HAES approach, which emphasizes health beyond the scale. It promotes an annual Body Acceptance Week, when communities can access resources and education to help prevent disordered eating habits.
A multitude of resources from the NEDA are available year-round, too, such as educational articles on eating disorders, a free screening tool for people ages 13 and older, and resources for treatment and support. Its Instagram @neda is a source of positive messaging and education.
3. Obesity Action Coalition
The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) was founded in 2005. While the nonprofit organization was mostly focused on obesity treatment in its beginnings, the OAC has since evolved into an advocacy organization. One of its top issues is weight bias, and its goal is to fight obesity stigma in schools, communities, and healthcare facilities by promoting education about the condition. It also offers a brochure outlining such biases as a starting point, as well as other weight bias resources.You can join the more than 80,000 members of the OAC Community for educational, support, and volunteer opportunities.
4. The Body Positive
Since its founding in 1996, the Body Positive has worked to create a community of body positivity and to fight body-shaming messages. For the past two decades, the organization has founded multiple body positivity programs in schools, as well as in community and clinician settings.
On an individual level, you can enroll in the organization's at-home fundamentals course to learn how to overcome negative body image perceptions. Or consider the Body Positive Institute's courses for individuals, educators, and clinicians. In addition to educational opportunities, the Body Positive is active on its blog and social media platforms with the latest news and research.
5. National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance
Focused on promoting equality at every size, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a social justice organization that's been promoting inclusion and acceptance of all body sizes since the 1970s. Its diverse and multigenerational membership is divided into chapters across the country. Its efforts go beyond social messaging, however: The NAAFA is active in regional and national legislation that seeks to outlaw discrimination against body size through its Campaign for Size Freedom, which you can get involved in.
The NAAFA hosts free online events and virtual get-togethers, offers volunteer opportunities, and posts helpful information on its blog and Instagram account, @naafaofficial.
6. Body Empowerment Project
Established in 2021 by two women who worked on eating disorder awareness at the University of Pennsylvania, the Body Empowerment Project is a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting body positivity and decreasing the risk of eating disorders as early in life as possible. The group works specifically with adolescents, who are often exposed to body shaming, diet culture, and messages of body “perfection” for the first time.
On top of this, the Body Empowerment Project targets its work in communities that don’t have access to preventive healthcare or treatments. It offers after-school programs for middle and high school students in the Philadelphia area, university-level chapters to promote body positivity and fight against antifat discrimination, and professional training for corporations, healthcare workers, and individuals. Find the latest news and research through the Body Empowerment Project's Instagram account, @body_empowerment_project.
7. SeekHer Foundation
With a goal of empowering women to change the intersection of mental health and gender gaps, the SeekHer Foundation focuses on issues of body image, as well as diversity, inclusion, and self-advocacy. The organization’s work in body image addresses startling statistics, such as its report that 90 percent of women are not happy with their bodies.
To help change this, the SeekHer Foundation raises money to support school programs that teach body positivity and provides body-inclusive trainings for healthcare practitioners. On an individual level, it offers free online workshops and events, as well as a self-care quiz that can give you insight into your well-being and relationship with your body.
Everyday Health's Weight Loss Reframed Survey queried 3,144 Americans nationwide ages 18 and older who had tried losing weight in the previous six months. The study was fielded between July 10 and August 18, 2023, across demographic groups, genders, and health conditions. Survey recruitment took place via an online portal, in app, and via email. The margin of error for the sample size of 3,144 is +/-1.7 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.
The Takeaway
Many body positive organizations offer support, services, and tools for people of all sizes.
For those seeking a like-minded community online, many of these organizations have social media channels that post positive messages around weight.
If you feel overwhelmed by weight stigma or body image concerns, it's crucial to involve a healthcare professional or support group to ensure physical and emotional safety, particularly as healthcare bias persists.
Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, and trauma healing.
He graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Wisconsin and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. During medical school, he completed a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices through the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. He completed his three-year residency training in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles on the primary care track and a two-year fellowship in integrative East-West primary care at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine.
He is currently taking a multiyear personal and professional sabbatical to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, disease, and the processes of healing. He is developing a clinical practice for patients with complex trauma, as well as for others going through significant life transitions. He is working on a book distilling the insights from his sabbatical, teaching, and leading retreats on trauma, integrative health, mindfulness, and well-being for health professionals, students, and the community.
Previously, Dr. Laube was an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he provided primary care and integrative East-West medical consultations. As part of the faculty, he completed a medical education fellowship and received a certificate in innovation in curriculum design and evaluation. He was the fellowship director at the Center for East-West Medicine and led courses for physician fellows, residents, and medical students.
Kristeen Cherney, PhD, is a freelance writer, essayist, author, and poet with more than 15 years of health writing experience for digital platforms such as Healthline, The Mighty, and LiveStrong. She’s covered nutrition, women’s and children’s wellness issues, as well as specialized topics ranging from diabetes and thyroid disease to anxiety, depression, asthma, allergies, and skin conditions.
With a doctorate in English (rhetoric and composition), Dr. Cherney focuses her academic scholarship on the intersection between disability and literacy. She also holds a Master of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in communication.
Cherney has contributed to the books The Wiley Handbook on Violence in Education: Forms, Factors, and Preventions, Composing in Four Acts: Readings for Writers, and Georgia State University's Guide to First-Year Writing, as well as to scholarly journals like Praxis, the Journal of Teaching Writing, and the Journal of Dracula Studies.
Cherney enjoys running, meditating, hiking, and paddleboarding.
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Resources
Fulton M et al. Obesity, Stigma, and Discrimination. StatPearls. October 26, 2023.
