Incorporating Nondiet and Weight-Neutral Principles in a University Dietetics Curriculum

Objective: To evaluate student attitudes toward nondiet, weight-neutral (NDWN) principles after reading Anti-Diet in a medical nutrition therapy (MNT) course. Design: A quasi-experimental design with no control group and a mixed-methods study approach. Setting and Participants: Adult undergraduate students (n = 112) enrolled in an MNT course. Intervention: A traditional MNT course and reading Anti-Diet (January–May, 2021), which introduces multiple topics that support weight-inclusive approaches to health. Phenomena of Interest: Change in student agreement with NDWN principles. Written reflections were collected to determine students’ rationale for their level of agreement. Analysis: Likert scale responses (1–5) of student ratings were analyzed with multivariate linear regression, a linear mixed-effect model, and a Wilcoxon signed rank test with continuity correction. Reflections were analyzed using thematic analysis methods. The triangulation methods compared quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Students ratings shifted significantly away from dieting for weight loss and toward agreement with NDWN principles (99.7) = 7.35, P < 0.001; mean difference = 0.83 with 95% confidence interval, 0.61–1.05. Two main themes emerged: (1) NDWN topics led to critical analysis of weight-centric knowledge, and (2) specific topics were more effective at shifting weight-based attributions. Conclusions and Implications: Incorporating specific NDWN principles in an undergraduate MNT curriculum can shift students’ weight-based attributions. More systematic development and testing of anti-fat bias reduction curricula are needed to support broader dissemination and standardization in dietetics curricula.