Posts Tagged ‘weight discrimination’

Respectful language is quite a challenge these days. Especially when language touches on issues of stigma and identity, it’s easy to offend people. So it’s no surprise that the language attached to obesity is a sensitive subject. And one thing is certain. “Obese” is a label that nobody likes. “Demented” or “eaten up with cancer” […]

Somewhere in your network, you might be hearing the Obesity Action Coalition talk about taking #OACAction. Or, you might be hearing about #OACAction from a friend, healthcare provider, or even through social media. It’s popping up in online news feeds, OAC educational materials, and even as a section on the OAC website. That’s because this week […]

My father instilled in me a desire and a curiosity about diagnosis. It started with me watching him conduct autopsies as Medical Examiner of Bergen County, New Jersey. I accompanied him to the scene of countless murders and unsolved crimes, witnessing him examine each body for clues that could reveal the cause of a person’s […]

YWM2018 offered two days of feasting on some of the best science, personal insight, and inspiration anywhere. But among all that great content, Rebecca Pearl managed to stand out. She really made us think about the burden of internal stigma. Attendee Faith Anne Newsome captured what many were thinking in a tweet: Dr. Rebecca Pearl’s […]

On the eve of YWM2018 yesterday, roughly 50 key members gathered to sharpen skills and support a new push for advocacy state by state. As ever, the priorities are constant and clear: gaining access to care, supporting research, and reducing bias and discrimination. Already, we’re gaining ground. Better Access to Care at Cigna and Emblem […]

The anger industry is booming all over the world. Outrage seems to win arguments because many people grow tired of rage and walk away. It’s a pretty good business model for cable news right now. But it carries a risk. Anger sometimes leaves people thinking they’ve won an argument. In fact, though, they’re losing a […]

Writing in the Washington Post, dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield has a simple cure for weight stigma in healthcare. Stop weighing heavier patients, she says. Healthcare might improve. To make her point, she tells the story of Bernie Salazar. He was an “at-home” winner of The Biggest Loser. Visiting with a relatively new doctor, he felt shame and […]

A pair of presentations at the 31st Harvard Blackburn Course in Obesity Medicine reminds us of much work to do. We have an embarrassing gap in respectful and equitable care for people with obesity. Scott Kahan gave a compelling overview of weight bias and stigma. On top of that, Fatima Cody Stanford described the added heath […]

Kelly deVos is having a crisis of confidence in her beliefs about body positivity. Writing the in the New York Times, she says: The problem with today’s version of body positivity is that it refuses to acknowledge that no one approach is right for every person. One teenager might grow up to be healthy at […]

Well, at least we have their attention. The Times of London reported yesterday on our presentation at ECO2018 about explicit weight bias in the UK and eight other countries around the world. Chris Smyth wrote a good, brief story and correctly reported that Britain seems to harbor especially harsh weight bias. The Times paired it […]