Immersed in Mixed Messages on Obesity

At the National Academies yesterday, we found ourselves immersed in mixed messages on obesity. The occasion was a public workshop on effective communications strategies for obesity. OCEANS President Faith Newsome summed it up for us:

I left with a lot of questions, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We talk about “solutions” and promote “healthy” weights. It seems confusing. I think we finally understand that obesity is a disease. But we don’t treat it like it’s chronic. I left wondering what solutions we have, who they work for, and when obesity is “fixed” or “cured.”

The Cacophony of Messages

To put it simply, messages are burying us. Harvard’s Vish Viswanath told us that we are pumping out 2.5 quintillion bytes of information every day. Thousands of messages compete daily for our limited attention span.

No wonder people are cynical. Edelman’s Adelaide Feuer explained that people have come to trust friends and peers more than experts. Way more than government officials.

Bias Deeply Embedded

The Rudd Center’s Rebecca Puhl reminded us that “stigmatising messages have been ingrained in our social fabric for many years.” As if to prove that point, Suzi Gates of CDC warned us that “we are at risk of normalizing unhealthy weight.” She cited Rihanna’s size-inclusive fashion show as something that steps over the line.

Fat shaming is definitely not cool. But implicit bias pops up at every turn.

We Need to Agree on Goals

As Newsome told us, the messaging landscape for obesity and health is very confused. Are we talking size and weight? Can we even say the O-word? Gary Foster, the Chief Scientific Officer for WW, brought some consumer insights to answer these questions.

Language about overweight and obesity alienates many people in a broad audience. Moralizing weight and eating behaviors is a problem. Diet is a four letter word. Cheating may as well be. Healthy eating and active living are behaviors we can promote.

Bias and stigma might also be a common issue on which many different stakeholders can agree. Obesity is a disease that leaves many people quite uncomfortable. Even physicians find it hard to discuss – even with a patient one to one. Mass communications? Forget it.

Almost 40 percent of American adults are living with obesity. So telling people that they should conform to a norm for body size just doesn’t work. Great people come in all sizes. And a healthy size for one will never be a healthy size for all.

Click here and here for further perspective about public health messaging on obesity. For a patient perspective from OAC Vice Chair Patty Nece on cutting through the mixed messages on obesity, click here.

Message #3, photograph © Jon Nicholls / flickr

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September 17, 2019