Posts Tagged ‘lived experience’

The Emergence of a Central Role for Persons with Obesity

October 25, 2025 — In two decades of advocacy for persons living with obesity, we have found great satisfaction in seeing a central role emerge for the lived experience of these people. But it is especially inspiring to see it spread across many different countries with many different health systems. We saw this up close yesterday as a keynote […]

Obesity Advocacy: Your Voice Matters Whenever You Speak Up

July 27, 2025 — At the dawn of the second day of YWM2025 yesterday, a panel of people sharing diverse advocacy experiences began the day. Tracy Zvenyach, the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) Director of Policy, chaired the session. Abrianna Wolfgram, Laura Gomez, Liz Paul, and Sarah Bramblette made the panel complete. Each of them had a unique story to […]

Will There Be a “Contagion Effect” of GLP-1s in Families?

June 13, 2025 — Thoughtful reporting by Jackie Snow in the New York Times prompts us to wonder about the possibility of a “contagion effect” from GLP-1s in families. When a parent receives highly effective treatment for obesity, what might the effect be on other family members? Of course, any answers to this question come from anecdotal observations. They […]

The Far-Reaching Effects of GLP-1 Medicines at Nutrition 2025

June 4, 2025 — It is fascinating. Nutrition 2025 concluded yesterday in Orlando and even though the conference is all about nutrition research, an intense interest in the interaction of GLP-1 medicines with nutrition was a theme in the meeting from its very start all the way to the end. At the end, with two distinguished obesity researchers, Randy […]

ECO2025: Setting the Agenda for Ending Weight Bias

May 11, 2025 — ECO2025 in Málaga, Spain, today (Sunday) started off with a sweeping review of weight bias, obesity stigma, and strategies for ending them. It’s a big ambition. But it was an honor for ConscienHealth to participate with an array of experts in the subject. The thought to take away from it is simply that progress is […]

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 […]

Dysfunctional Healthcare Driving Robust Growth for Med Spas

March 10, 2025 — Seemingly limitless demand for obesity meds, botox, and lip fillers is driving robust growth for med spas in the U.S. The medical spa industry reports expansion from 1,600 locations in 2010 to more than 10,000 in 2023. The revenue for an average spa more than doubled to $1.4 million per spa. In 2023, that added […]

The Empathy Gap in Healthcare and Obesity

February 18, 2025 — Two new papers offer a sharp focus on a stark gap at the intersection of healthcare and obesity – a dearth of empathy. Stuart Flint and colleagues explain the importance of understanding lived experiences with obesity for closing that gap: “The lived experience of obesity is clearly much more complex than the typical societal narrative, […]

What Has Changed in 20 Years of Obesity Patient Advocacy?

February 9, 2025 — April this year will mark 20 years of patient advocacy in obesity by the Obesity Action Coalition. We’ve spent this weekend with the OAC board, looking back and looking forward at advocacy to educate, elevate, and support the voices of people living with obesity. So this is a good time to ask what has changed […]

Yes, Food Noise Is Real and Measurable

January 22, 2025 — One of the most important shifts in the approach to obesity in recent years has been an increased focus on the lived experience with this disease. One result has been the identification of food noise as a subjective experience that greatly affects the quality of life for many people living with obesity. Now, new research […]