Expressions of Weight Bias: “Fat People Are Costing Us Billions”

“Who sinned, this man or his parents?” Ancient texts remind us there is nothing new about stigma and bias toward people living with illness and disability. But still, it is jarring to encounter such expressions of weight bias as the Telegraph published not long ago. William Sitwell wrote:

“Fat people are costing us all billions. It’s time to get tough. I used to think the obese should be left alone – but they’re beginning to crush us.”

Hidden Struggles, Callous Care

Writing in Health & Social Care in the Community, Kath Williamson and colleagues describe the life experiences of people with severe obesity who need community health and social services. The struggles these people face are largely hidden. People like Sitwell never see them and even caregivers can seem callous. The result is a tremendous burden of self-stigma, as one person explained in a research interview:

“It’s my fault. And I think that is why I get angry with myself. Because I think, you know, ‘it’s your fault you’re this size, you were eating sweets in the hospital. You were eating hospital food and you’ve allowed yourself to get to this ridiculous size.’”

Blaming people for their illness – whether it is cancer or obesity – does nothing but make their health and prospects for life worse.

Illness Is Costly

The U.S. spends close to five trillion dollars on healthcare. In the UK, the number is smaller – about four hundred billion. And yes, untreated obesity is quite costly, because it leads to other diseases that account for much of the spending on healthcare. These include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, joint disease, and much more.

So headlines that scream about the cost of obesity wind up being expressions of weight bias – stoking resentment such as Sitwell seems to feel. People with obesity feel that resentment every day. They take it in, turn it on themselves, and bring themselves to a worse state of health.

It’s not helping, So perhaps the time is coming when we will take a more constructive path – promoting health instead of blame and resentment.

Click here for Sitwell’s commentary and here for Williamson’s research.

Father Emmanuel, painting by Maurice Quentin de La Tour / WikiArt

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August 6, 2024