\u201cI believed there were \u2018healthy\u2019 weights and \u2018unhealthy\u2019 weights, and my practice was very weight-centric at that time,\u201d said Clifford, a professor in the Department of Health Sciences at NAU. \u201cMy patients kept losing weight and then gaining it all back because that\u2019s just how our bodies are wired. I realized I wasn\u2019t helping them at all; I was causing more harm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s when Clifford kicked off her research journey into weight-inclusive health care. She found research that challenged everything she\u2019d believed about weight and health. One study showed that people who were \u201coverweight\u201d according to the Body Mass Index scale tended to live longer<\/a> than people who were a \u201cnormal\u201d weight. Another literature review found that most people with larger bodies who lose weight through diet and exercise tend to regain the weight<\/a>. Multiple studies have concluded that there\u2019s a distressingly high rate<\/a> of undiagnosed eating disorders among higher-weight people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHealth care professionals want to do no harm, but studies are finding that when health care practitioners recommend weight loss or take a weight-centric approach in caring for their patients, there are serious risks involved\u2014including a life of unsafe yo-yo dieting and the development of an eating disorder,\u201d Clifford said. \u201cThere is more and more research coming out that supports a weight-inclusive approach both for mental and physical health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help future practitioners embrace a more compassionate approach to dietetics, Clifford and a handful of her health sciences colleagues are integrating weight-inclusive messages into their teaching. They use case studies that feature larger patients, model inclusive language that helps those with a higher weight feel supported on their health journey and help students create nutrition plans that focus on patients\u2019 overall well-being and disease management instead of weight loss. They also use their classroom experiences to publish peer-reviewed papers<\/a> on how to incorporate weight-inclusive perspectives<\/a> into health sciences teaching to inspire a more empathetic approach<\/a> to care, providing guidance and food for thought for their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe truth is, weight is just one way of looking at health,\u201d Clifford said. \u201cI believe in evidence-based care, and the evidence shows that weight-inclusive care is the best way to promote health and happiness.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nikole Squires<\/strong>, a lecturer in NAU\u2019s fitness wellness degree program, is proof that weight-focused health advice can be harmful. As a college student majoring in athletic training, Squires developed anorexia nervosa. While working with student-athletes as part of her hands-on training, she noticed she was far from alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI saw where a lot of it came from\u2014coaches had a certain idea of what an athlete\u2019s body should look like in a certain sport, and they would make comments if the athletes\u2019 bodies looked different than that idea,\u201d Squires said. \u201cTrainers and dietitians around them would be like, \u2018Here are the resources you can use to lose or gain weight,\u2019 instead of, \u2018Here\u2019s what you can eat or how you can train so you have more energy and better sleep and better performance.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n While in recovery from anorexia, Squires started researching weight-inclusive practices on her own, eventually completing a master\u2019s degree in health and kinesiology at the University of Utah. During her master\u2019s program, she read Clifford\u2019s systematic review on non-diet approaches to health<\/a>, and it inspired her to come to NAU for her Ph.D. Together with two other faculty members, Clifford and Squires are now leading the charge to teach weight-inclusive care strategies to Lumberjacks who will become tomorrow\u2019s providers.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are a lot of students in our classrooms who might see weight as a personal responsibility that is directly linked to individual behaviors rather than something that\u2019s very complex and that involves genetics and social determinants of health,\u201d Clifford said. \u201cWe try to gently challenge that view with questions and examples that get them thinking critically about how many factors contribute to someone\u2019s weight and health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Squires likes to use rural communities as an example, given how rural Coconino County is outside of Flagstaff.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine to say, \u2018Eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise more,\u2019 but if someone only has access to the gas station rather than a full grocery store, or if they live off a highway with no sidewalks, that\u2019s easier said than done,\u201d Squires said. \u201cWith weight-inclusive care, we can focus on behaviors while also realizing everyone\u2019s life circumstances are different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to teaching and publishing research, Clifford and Squires run NAU\u2019s low-cost University Coaching for Activity and Nutrition (UCAN) program<\/a>, which helps students, faculty and staff achieve health and well-being goals like reducing stress, achieving self-acceptance and incorporating more movement into their lives. They\u2019re also focused on promoting size diversity in health care professions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOftentimes, individuals at higher weights feel like they\u2019re not going to be accepted in the profession they\u2019re choosing, like personal training or dietetics,\u201d Clifford said. \u201cI think it\u2019s so important to send the message to our students that every body is welcome in all health and fitness professions. We need diverse bodies in health care.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Dawn](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/4065_masters_public_health_20210504-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTeaching compassionate care<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Nikole](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-health-human-services\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-0BA23A9E-6A7E-45D2-BF2E-F8DEAA4903E6-1024x1536-1-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u2018Every body is welcome\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n