Posts Tagged ‘health stigma’

Neurodiversity, Obesity, and Learning from Lived Experiences

May 4, 2025 — “People with neurodiversity have a greater risk of obesity, yet the involvement in policy development and research of people with neurodiversity and obesity is minimal.” Stuart Flint, Joe Nadglowski, Kim Murray, and Julia Simonetti tell us in the latest issue of Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology that collecting data on lived experiences from people who face […]

Saying Autism and Obesity Are “Preventable” Raises Ire

April 27, 2025 — Our Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has a knack for raising ire. He does it in many ways. But on the diverse subjects of autism and obesity he uses the same word – preventable – to do it. The problem is not the word itself. The problem comes from false […]

Translating an Explosion of Weight Stigma Research into Action

October 26, 2024 — Yesterday at Concordia University, we wrapped up two days of an international weight bias summit aimed at setting priorities for translating an explosion of weight stigma research into action for ending weight stigma. Observations of Progress Rebecca Puhl spoke in a webinar with more than 250 people from all over the world. She reflected on […]

The #1 Reason Doctors Treat Patients Poorly: Weight

August 8, 2024 — New survey research from YouGov serves up a timely reminder of the problem with weight bias in healthcare. The research, fielded in late June, found that most American adults (53%) have an unfavorable view of the U.S. healthcare system. About one in three persons report negative treatment because of their identity. And weight is the […]

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

August 6, 2024 — “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. […]

A System of High Prices, Stigma, and Inequity in Obesity

July 3, 2024 — Nope, says Dr. Alissa Chen. Medicare shouldn’t start covering obesity medicines. Her dad, 72, has obesity that began when he was in grad school and has persisted throughout his life. Now he has the cardiovascular disease that often results from untreated obesity. But no, she doesn’t want him to receive treatment with advanced medicines proven […]

Diab*tes: A Stigmatizing Expression of Sugar Phobia

April 1, 2024 — “I might be on on a sugar high, but I’m not a diab*tic. Don’t pathologize my pancreas.” With these words from Lexi Cherinson, a new movement was born last week to challenge a dominant narrative around health, wellbeing, and diverse bodies. Specifically, Cherinson is challenging the fearmongering about a global epidemic of diab*tes. She prefers […]

Weight Stigma Through the Cultural Lens of the Global South

February 22, 2024 — Scholars have noted that in lower income countries, obesity can be taken as a signal of wealth. This observation in turn fuels a presumption that weight stigma might not be a problem in countries of the Global South. But a new scoping review in Obesity Facts suggests this presumption is likely false. Laura Eggerichs, Oliver […]

Make Believe About Obesity Blended with a Social Agenda

February 3, 2024 — We confess to a significant amount of fatigue with a social agenda related to size and weight getting overlaid on the medical concern of obesity. The bickering of people who want to make believe that obesity is a purely social issue can be too much to bear. This has been one of those weeks. Moral […]

Reason and Emotion in Obesity Care for Young Persons

December 18, 2023 — Both reason and emotion play a role in obesity care for young persons. Feelings about this subject are strong. The experience of living with obesity is intense for families, children, and youth. Recent reporting makes this clear. Equally clear is reporting and new data that tell us we’re not coping with it very well. Severe […]