the weight stigma

Individuals with obesity frequently face discriminatory acts and attitudes based off their weight or size - which is what weight stigma is.

Unfortunately, weight stigma manifests in the healthcare setting, a setting where individuals frequently are coming when they are feeling vulnerable and seeking assistance for improving health!

Ways in which weight stigma appears in the healthcare setting:

*Chairs that cannot accommodate all weights and sizes

*Exam tables that are difficult to get on

*Gowns that incompletely cover the patient

*Blood pressure cuffs that are not the appropriate size

*Not using people first language (a person HAS obesity, we should NOT say, “obese person”)

*INSURANCES NOT COVERING ANTI-OBESITY MEDICATIONS (AOMs) ON THEIR FORMULARY

We can do better - especially in the healthcare setting.

My call to action:

✅ Insurance companies: re-evaluate the stigma you are creating and recognize the important role that anti-obesity medications play in treating obesity. By covering these medications, we can reduce obesity, its complications, and in the long-run, reduce healthcare costs.

✅ Healthcare colleagues: please be mindful of the language you use. Please use people-first language when discussing obesity as the medical condition that it is.

✅ Healthcare systems: please ensure that the equipment you have in the office is mindful of all body sizes

To learn more about this, I recommend visiting: https://www.worldobesity.org/what-we-do/our-policy-priorities/weight-stigma