Interventions to reduce weight bias among nurses and nursing students: A scoping review

Weight bias is a persistent and growing problem in healthcare settings, including among nurses and nursing students. Despite its documented impact on the quality of care, the evidence on interventions targeting this group remains fragmented and insufficiently synthesised.

To identify and analyse interventions aimed at reducing weight bias among nurses and nursing students in both educational and professional settings, describe their key features, examine their theoretical and pedagogical frameworks, examine reported outcomes, and identify gaps to guide future intervention design.

Scoping review following JBI guidelines and reported according to PRISMA-ScR.

Studies were eligible if they included nurses or nursing students, described an evaluated intervention aimed at reducing weight bias, and were conducted in educational or clinical settings. Data were extracted using a standardised tool and synthesised descriptively by intervention type, theoretical framework and outcome measures. Studies published between January 2015 and December 2025 were included. Databases searched: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented with grey literature and backward citation searching.

Eighteen studies were included. The majority were conducted in the USA (89%) and in academic settings (89%), predominantly with undergraduate nursing students. Multimodal interventions that combined increased knowledge and evoking empathy were the most common. Simulation-based approaches were present in 39% of the studies. Ten studies (56%) reported an explicit theoretical framework. Eight studies (44%) reported improvements in main outcomes. Short-term improvements in explicit bias were the most consistent outcome, whereas implicit bias was assessed in only four studies and long-term evidence remains limited.

The reduction of weight bias in nursing is a growing field with a plurality of conceptual and methodological approaches. Integrated curricular approaches are needed, combining critical reflection, relational experience and reflection on contributing frameworks and practices, alongside engagement of both educational and clinical settings.