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Weight stigma in body donation programs: Donation criteria analysis

Authors: Sophie Orr; Soph Myers-Kelley; Heidi Reis; Jenna Hagerty; Kerry Sewell; Maureen Helgren; Rebecca Pearl; +2 Authors

Weight stigma in body donation programs: Donation criteria analysis

Abstract

Medical schools rely on body donation programs to obtain cadavers for teaching anatomy and conducting scientific research. However, many body donation programs utilize strict criteria for donation, including height, amputee status, body weight, or body mass index (BMI). BMI criteria limit medical students’ the familiarity and positive interactions with larger bodies, possibly decreasing the future quality of care provided by these students to high weight individuals and increasing weight stigma. This study assessed online criteria for 128 body donation programs in the United States, focusing on weight and BMI. Most (90.6%) of body donation program websites had weight-based restrictions, using either qualitative terms (79.7%, obese, proportional), quantitative measures (35.9%, BMI, weight), or both (25%). Only 9% provided justifications for weight limitations. In addition, no programs had DEI statements. The most used BMI cutoff (30 kg/m2) eliminates half of potential US body donors, since the average BMI for adults is 29.8 for females and 29.4 for males. This research demonstrates a key area for improvements in medical school weight bias. Increasing weight equity in body donation programs can be the first step in reducing medical weight bias and providing a broader and more realistic medical education with respect to body size.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
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