| Title: |
Body Habitus Considerations in US Anatomical Body Donation Programs--Perspectives and Practices from Program Guidelines |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Soph Myers-Kelley (ORCID 0000-0002-4781-789X); Jenna Hagerty (ORCID 0000-0001-6203-1564); Heidi Reis (ORCID 0000-0002-0589-3106); Kerry Sewell (ORCID 0000-0002-0405-3789); Sophie Orr (ORCID 0000-0003-4315-9014); Maureen Helgren (ORCID 0009-0006-1875-0290); Rebecca L. Pearl (ORCID 0000-0002-1996-0082); Marisa Langton (ORCID 0009-0004-2520-5608); Malli Barremkala (ORCID 0000-0001-6211-5338) |
| Source: |
Anatomical Sciences Education. 2026 19(1):85-92. |
| Availability: |
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
8 |
| Publication Date: |
2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: |
T32AR079099 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Higher Education; Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: |
Human Body; Anatomy; Donors; Guidelines; Web Sites; Program Descriptions; Best Practices; Evaluation Criteria; Medical Education; Medical Research; Body Weight; Bias; Universities |
| Geographic Terms: |
Florida |
| DOI: |
10.1002/ase.70129 |
| ISSN: |
1935-9772; 1935-9780 |
| Abstract: |
Many US body donation programs impose restrictions on donations based on body size. To examine the body habitus criteria related to body weight, height, proportion, and other size factors in United States body donation programs (USBDP), 127 USBDP publicly available websites listed by the University of Florida were reviewed. Since this study focuses on publicly available website information, it may not capture the characteristics of all programs. Eleven percent of the USBDP websites with public-facing criteria exclusively listed numeric restrictions, while 24.4% included both descriptive and quantitative (numeric) terminology. The majority of websites with public-facing criteria (90.6%) imposed a weight-related restriction, with 55.1% providing descriptive (i.e., non-numeric) terms. The most common body mass index (BMI) cutoff (30 kg/m[superscript 2]) could disqualify some U.S. adults from donating, as the average BMI in the United States for adult females is 29.8 and for adult males is 29.4. Fourteen programs offered explanations of their descriptive or numeric weight/BMI restrictions. As language evolves to better describe and reflect body habitus, keeping up to date with best practice and community preferences may help when designing donor criteria. Public-facing information about body habitus criteria for donation may limit the representativeness of body habitus used in anatomical education and research. The implications of this on anatomical education and weight bias in students require more research. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1493333 |
| Database: |
ERIC |