QUICK GUIDE
Reducing weight stigma and bias
Addressing weight stigma and bias
Weight stigma refers to negative beliefs and actions directed towards a person because of their body size. Addressing weight stigma and bias is important, as both have been shown to negatively impact mental health, physical health, progress towards health behaviour change goals, and willingness to access healthcare services.
Research has found that many people in the community, including health professionals, hold weight-biased attitudes.1 It is important to recognise that weight stigma is shaped by strong social influences and norms and may not be obvious in the moment.
All Queenslanders can take steps to reduce weight bias and stigma.
Examples of weight stigma in healthcare interactions include:
- Making negative assumptions about a person’s character, skills, intelligence, self-control, health literacy, behaviours, and motivations, because of their body size.
- Assuming someone has poor health behaviours or has not attempted behaviour change strategies before.
- Oversimplifying the causes of obesity and believing that obesity is due to personal choice.
- Physical environments that are not safe and inclusive for people in larger bodies (for example, chairs).
- Negative attitudes if a patient’s condition is perceived as increasing workload.
Tips to help reduce weight bias
- Reflect on your attitudes and beliefs about body weight and size and consider how these may impact patients. Many people are not aware of the complex interactions between genetics, hormones, environments, health behaviours, and social and economic factors that can impact weight and health over time.
- Consider the language you are using. Use person-first language such as ‘person living with obesity’, or ‘people living in a larger body’, and avoid terms such as ‘fat’, ‘obese’ or ‘big’.
- Challenge assumptions you may hold about a person’s character, intelligence, effort or motivation based on their weight. Avoid making jokes, judgemental comments, or using inappropriate labels when referring to people living in larger bodies.
- Complete the Harvard Weight Implicit Association Test (select Weight IAT) to better understand your own implicit biases.
- Recognise that patients living in larger bodies may have accessibility needs. Provide safe, welcoming, and accessible facilities that accommodate people living in larger bodies where possible, for example, chairs, beds, scales, blood pressure cuffs and gowns. See guide on physical environments.
- Recognise additional manual handling requirements can contribute to staff fatigue and may, at times, result in negative attitudes if a patient’s condition is perceived as increasing workload. Patients should not be blamed or made to feel guilty for the additional support required to access safe care. The way we manage manual handling needs can significantly influence patients’ experiences and their willingness to seek care in the future.
- Refer to Clinical Guidelines or site-specific Manual Handling training for further information managing patients living in a larger body.
- Consider having a respectful and sensitive conversation with patients about their needs and any requirements for staff. This may help reduce confusion, shame, and miscommunication.
Reference:
- Lawrence, BJ, Kerr, DL, Pollard, C, Theophilus, M, Alexander, E, Haywood, D & O’Connor, M 2021, “Weight bias among health care professionals: A systematic review and meta‐analysis,” Obesity, 29(11):1802–1812.
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