Posts Tagged ‘weight discrimination’

MSNBC examined three ethical issues for wellness programs in a recent segment with ConscienHealth founder Ted Kyle and bioethics professor Mark Rothstein from the University of Louisville. Three ethical issues stood out in the discussion: Personal Privacy. Worker revolts against wellness programs at Penn State and CVS provide very public evidence that people resent employers […]

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson unwittingly proved this week that weight bias hurts. Responding to criticisms of his trademark pants, he put the blame squarely on customers, saying “some women’s bodies just don’t work” for them. Now Lululemon’s stock is down almost 10%. Ouch. Wilson didn’t help the situation when he issued a non-apology. He said […]

New data presented at Obesity Week adds to the evidence that a naive “get tough” approach to obesity backfires. Scolding, judging, or lecturing patients with obesity leads people with obesity to: Change doctors Avoid healthcare But not to achieve a healthier weight   Kimberly Gudzune and colleagues at Johns Hopkins won special recognition from the […]

Highlights of Wednesday at Obesity Week 2013 defy an authoritative count, because the rich agenda was overflowing with them as the meeting opened up in full force. With that disclaimer, here are four that compelled our interest: Long-Term Obesity Surgery Outcomes. Among the top 10 papers presented to ASMBS were two studies of long-term outcomes from […]

Employer-sponsored wellness programs are sprouting up throughout corporate America with the goal to get employees healthier and drive down the cost of health benefits. But how helpful are these programs? A new study presented today at Obesity Week found that wellness programs are commonly setting weight goals for employees, but most often they are paired […]

At yesterday’s Obesity Week 2013 Advocacy Forum, an engaged panel explored the potential benefits and pitfalls of employer wellness programs. Obesity Society advocacy advisor Ted Kyle chaired and organized the panel. Joe Nadglowski, president and CEO of the Obesity Action Coalition, kicked off the debate, declaring himself “a skeptic” when it comes to the value of […]

As the Obesity Week 2013 program gains momentum in Atlanta, you’ll find three things that matter to ConscienHealth on the agenda: policy, bias, and research. ConscienHealth and our collaborators are presenting five studies on these subjects. On the subject of obesity policy, we’re presenting a study of “Employer Wellness Programs, Weight Outcome Hurdles, and Obesity Treatment […]

Time Magazine’s cover this week reminds us how hard it is to stop mocking obesity and start dealing with it as a disease. With New Jersey governor Chris Christie looking more likely as a 2016 presidential candidate, Time ran a cover photo of Christie emblazoned with “The Elephant in the Room” for a headline. We’re not […]

Mark your calendar. On Tuesday during Obesity Week, the Obesity Society Advocacy Committee will sponsor a forum, “Weight Bias, Employment, and Wellness Programs.” Expect a lively discussion because employee wellness programs have generated considerable controversy over the last year. Twice as many employers are expected to start imposing employee wellness penalties next year, so the […]

Massachusetts has bowed to pressure from parents and stopped sending out so-called “Fat Letters” home with students who have a high BMI, but a Fargo radio station filled the gap. In what is likely a hoax, they had a woman call in to say she will be dispensing candy to children she judges to be […]