Dr Christy Greenleaf, psychosocial aspects of weight and body image in fitness/exercise settings

Women in Sport and Exercise Academic Network Podcast

Christy Greenleaf, Ph.D. is a Professor of Kinesiology at Zilber College of Public Health, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Dr Greenleaf’s research focuses on psychosocial aspects of weight, physical activity and body image. In particular, she is curious about the lived experiences of individuals with larger bodies in health and fitness contexts and how weight bias, or negative attitudes and stereotypes towards individuals who appear to be overweight, manifests itself within physical activity settings. Dr Greenleaf's research seeks to inform practices for creating and supporting size-inclusive physical activity environments. To date, she has focused on media representations of fat exercisers in a televised weight-loss competition, women’s experiences related to plus-size exercise clothing and exercise motivation, as well as experiences of embodiment during physical activity. Most recently, she has begun exploring information on weight-inclusive and weight-neutral approaches to fitness and health directed toward fitness professionals. Dr Greenleaf has published 60 peer-reviewed articles, 15 book chapters and has made over 125 national/international presentations.

Things we talked about in this episode:

• Current media image of what is deemed acceptable body type generally/in sport for women e.g., slender but curvy; change over time; other differences (physical disabilities, cultural).

• Differences in attitudes to body type in sport context versus fitness context.
• Weight bias amongst exercise professionals/health educators & health-neutral approaches.
• Sports clothing/apparel/environments for plus-sized individuals – problem, solution.
• Social media posts predicting behaviour.
• Impact of research
• Future research goals/activities.