Collaborations & Publications
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Sport can be a powerful force in a girl’s life. Yet, around the world, 45% of teenage girls are dropping out of sport – at twice the rate of boys – because of low body confidence.
Body Confident Sport is a first-of-its-kind, scientifically proven set of coaching tools to build body confidence in 11–17 year old girls. It was co-developed by Dove and Nike, in partnership with a team of researchers, myself included at the Centre for Appearance Research and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport – and includes input from girls and coaches from six countries, including France, India, Japan, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S.
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Weight bias (negative attitudes towards, and beliefs about, others because of their weight or size) is highly prevalent across the globe and is a significant public health concern.
Weight bias leads to stigma and discrimination against people based on their body weight and size and impacts their uptake of health promotion behaviours (i.e., adopting and maintaining a balanced diet and exercise regime). Fitness environments, in particular, are saturated with weight bias.
My research on this topic aims to help fitness professionals reduce this weight bias and create more inclusive fitness spaces for all.
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Publications
Budhraja, M., Schneider, J., Tinoco, A., Khanna, P., & Matheson, E. L. (2025). “Change needs to start at home”: A reflexive thematic analysis of girl athletes’ and coaches' experiences of body image in New Delhi, India. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 76(102774), 102774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102774
Goorevich, A., Boucher, C., Schneider, J., Silva-Breen, H., Matheson, E., Tinoco, A., & LaVoi, N. (2023). Acceptability and preliminary efficacy testing of a web-based coach development program addressing gender essentialism among coaches of adolescent girls. International Sport Coaching Journal, 11(3), 356–368. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2023-0035
Matheson, E. L., Schneider, J., Gentili, C., Tinoco, A., Silva-Breen, H., White, P., LaVoi, N. M., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2025). A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions that target the intersection of body image and movement among girls and women. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 18(1), 467–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984x.2023.2258379
Matheson, E. L., Schneider, J., Tinoco, A., Gentili, C., Silva-Breen, H., LaVoi, N. M., White, P., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2023). The co-creation, initial piloting, and protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of a coach-led positive body image intervention for girls in sport. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 1467. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16360-w
Matheson, E. L., Schneider, J., Tinoco, A., Silva-Breen, H., LaVoi, N. M., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2023). How can we help you? A global investigation into girls’ body image experiences in sport and intervention preferences. Body Image, 46, 265–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.06.012
Matheson, E. L., Schneider, J., Tinoco, A., White, P., Toher, D., LaVoi, N. M., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2025). A randomized controlled trial of a body image intervention for girl athletes. Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001522
Schneider, J., Matheson, E. L., Tinoco, A., Gentili, C., White, P., Boucher, C., Silva-Breen, H., Goorevich, A., Diedrichs, P. C., & LaVoi, N. M. (2024). Body confident coaching: a pilot randomized controlled trial evaluating the acceptability of a web-based body image intervention for coaches of adolescent girls. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 36(2), 231–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2023.2212023
Schneider, J., Matheson, E. L., Tinoco, A., Silva-Breen, H., Diedrichs, P. C., & LaVoi, N. M. (2023). A six-country study of coaches’ perspectives of girls' body image concerns in sport and intervention preferences: Template analysis of survey and focus group data. Body Image, 46, 300–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.06.013
Schneider, J., Pegram, G., Gibson, B., Talamonti, D., Tinoco, A., Craddock, N., Matheson, E., & Forshaw, M. (2023). A mixed‐studies systematic review of the experiences of body image, disordered eating, and eating disorders during the COVID‐19 pandemic. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 56(1), 26–67. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23706
Schneider, J., Tinoco, A., Scott, B., Witcomb, G. L., Matheson, E. L., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2024). A systematic review of interventions that aim to reduce implicit and explicit weight biases among fitness professionals. Recreational Sports Journal, 48(2), 197–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/15588661241280200
Schneider, J., Tinoco, A., Selmes, R., Scott, B., Witcomb, G. L., Matheson, E. L., & Diedrichs, P. C. (2024). Understanding fitness professionals’ weight biases and uptake of weight-inclusive practices: Findings from a mixed-methods survey. Stigma and Health. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000567
Silva-Breen, H., Schneider, J., Tinoco, A., Matheson, E. L., & LaVoi, N. M. (2022). Development and preliminary validation of the Coach Self-Efficacy Body Image Scale (CSEBIS). Body Image, 43, 408–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.10.008
Tinoco, A., Schneider, J., Haywood, S., & Matheson, E. L. (2023). “They are men, they will be looking even if you put on pants or a sweatshirt”: Girl athletes’ and coaches' experiences of body image in Mexico City sport settings. Body Image, 46, 73–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.05.002
Tinoco, A., Zuest, L., & Schneider, J. (n.d.). Gym Experiences Across the Lifespan: A Qualitative Study on Midlife and Older Women’s Physical Activity Journeys and the Role of Fitness Professionals. Journal Of Sport & Social Issues, Under Review.