Posts Tagged ‘weight stigma’

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 […]

A Global View of Weight Stigma

October 20, 2023 — Cultural norms regarding body image vary all around the world. Likewise, priorities and perspectives about health are quite variable, too. So we find it quite remarkable that a global view of the difficult issue of weight stigma emerged this week with leadership from the World Obesity Federation in Obesity Reviews. We note that, with the […]

OW2023: Five Things We Will Remember

October 19, 2023 — The week that was OW2023 is history now, leaving us to reflect on what we will remember from this gathering of the top minds in obesity science, clinical care, and health policy. The meeting comes at a pivotal time for obesity care, so we have much to learn from the people who came together here. […]

Why Do Our Pets Seem to Be Growing Larger with Us?

October 11, 2023 — Today is World Pet Obesity Awareness Day. So what can we make of the observation that our pets seem to be growing larger with us? We have the privilege of knowing two persons who have put much thought into this subject. So today, we will borrow on their insights. Chihuahua in the Coalmine Ernie Ward […]

Language Frames Our Response to Obesity

June 14, 2023 — Recent advances in the scientific understanding of obesity has led to more frequent public rejection of explicit weight bias, but implicit bias and stigma remains a serious impediment to health. Language is a potent tool that frames our understanding of obesity. But too often, even in scientific publications, it reflects bias against people with obesity […]

Endocrinologists Target Stigma in Obesity Care

May 5, 2023 — Yesterday at the AACE 2023 annual meeting and in Endocrine Practice, this society of clinical endocrinologists unveiled a new consensus statement on obesity. The core message is unmistakable: endocrinologists should prioritize reducing the harm of stigma in obesity care. Karl Nadolsky, lead author, presented this new consensus at the meeting and tells ConscienHealth: “This is […]

Brendan Fraser Wins an Oscar for The Whale

March 13, 2023 — It was nothing short of cathartic for many people toiling in the tricky space of advocacy for people living with obesity. Brendan Fraser last night won an Oscar, Best Actor, for his portrayal of Charlie in The Whale. His character, Charlie, is dying from complications of obesity and the movie depicts him as a very […]

Three Threads in Public Discourse on Obesity

March 10, 2023 — Anyone who doesn’t think a major shift in public perceptions about obesity is not underway has simply not been paying attention. Public discourse about this complex chronic disease is more intense (albeit sometimes frustrating) than we have seen in more than two decades of work on obesity. We see a pattern of three threads in […]

Did Anti-Obesity Campaigns Poison the Well?

January 29, 2023 — Reading about the heated and not terribly well-reasoned arguments people are having about obesity prompts a sad conclusion. A history of ineffective and, at times, harmful anti-obesity campaigns may have poisoned the well of public sentiment about obesity. People have such strong feelings that facts and reason become irrelevant. Aggrieved Advocates for People with Eating […]

The Utility of Terror for Decisions on Child Health

January 27, 2023 — We count on newspapers for coming up with sensational headlines to inflame passions. Opinion pages seldom disappoint. But those flames of passion very often bring more heat than light. Such was the case yesterday when the New York Times published a sensational headline for an opinion article by a HAES activist, Virginia Sole-Smith. She wants […]