Promoting Body Size Diversity in University Recreation Centers

• Published in: Quest (National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education) Vol. 73; no. 4; pp. 357 - 374
• Main Authors: Zuest, Luciana, Lee, Sae-Mi, Leedeman, Juliana, Li, Shuang, Clifford, Dawn E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 02-10-2021
• Subjects: Attitudes; Barriers; Body Composition; Body Weight; College Students; Correlation; Empathy; Health Promotion; Higher Education; Human Body; Inclusion; inclusive physical activity; Interpersonal Relationship; Language Usage; Mental Health; Minority Group Students; Physical Activities; Professional Development; Recreational Activities; School Personnel; Social Bias; Stress Variables; university recreation center; weight bias; Weight stigma
• ISSN: 0033-6297; 1543-2750
• DOI: 10.1080/00336297.2021.1970594

The purpose of this study was to examine university recreation center (URC) leaders' perceptions of their URC climate and the strategies used to promote body size diversity. The study's secondary goal was to explore the URC leaders' plans and professional development needs to further promote body size diversity and inclusion in their URCs. 141 URC leaders from 37 states in the U.S. participated in a cross-sectional survey. Overall, participants perceived their URCs to have an inclusive climate for people in larger bodies. URC leaders reported adopting strategies consistent with research recommendations for creating inclusive environments. However, there were some misaligned priorities regarding changes needed to establish a more inclusive space for people in diverse bodies. Given previous research recommendations, we advocate that URC leaders shift their focus to more cost-effective efforts that can be feasible to implement and impactful in ensuring the inclusion of people with diverse body sizes in recreation spaces.