Research Interests

Goal #1: Understand the full range of psychological and behavioral consequences of weight-related interventions

  • How do traditional weight-related interventions (e.g., diets, mobile health applications, physician weight loss counseling) influence:

    • People’s motivation for, and engagement in, healthy behaviors?

    • People’s levels of weight-related distress or body dissatisfaction?

    • People’s continued engagement with the intervention?

  • Are there any unintended consequences of traditional weight-related interventions (e.g., stigma, stress, health anxiety)?

Goal #2: Develop and test the effectiveness of strategies to improve weight-related interventions

  • How can we create weight-related interventions that help people engage in healthy behaviors without making them feel threatened, judged, or stigmatized?

  • How can we promote and increase adherence to healthy behaviors without patients viewing them as “punishment”?

  • Are there any strategies that healthcare professionals can use to reduce weight stigma during clinical interactions?

    • For instance, does adjusting the tone, content, or framing of health beahvior recommendations result in better patient outcomes?

Goal #3: Explore the impact of widespread access to GLP-1 receptor agonist medications (e.g., Ozempic, Wegovy) on weight management practice and weight stigma

  • What are the social consequences (e.g., stereotyping, stigma) of using a GLP-1 for weight loss?

  • How can healthcare professionals adequately inform patients about the wide range of medications available without making patients feel pressured or stigmatized?

  • How does the availability of GLP-1s influence people’s engagement in healthy behavior changes?

Wide Variety of Contexts for Application of Research

In the SWEL lab, we explore these questions across a wide variety of contexts, including:

  • Self-Directed Dieting Efforts

  • Healthcare Interactions

  • Mobile Health Applications

  • Workplaces