Introduction to the special issue: public health, healthism, and fatness

Mackert, Nina; Schorb, Friedrich

doi:10.1080/21604851.2021.1911486

Cited by 13 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This emphasis on weight is perhaps, in part, a vestige of an earlier era in which insurance companies published tables of ideal or desirable weight ranges, based on their observation that “excess weight” was associated with an increased risk of mortality. But whatever the historical roots, the result is that, at least outside of medicine, the claim that “obesity is a disease” will almost inevitably be misconstrued as the claim that “ excess weight is a disease” or, more colloquially, “being fat is a disease.” This, in turn, confirms a long‐held prejudice that those with higher BMI have, by definition, failed to protect their health, a claim which is often used to justify weight stigma 98 . Perhaps part of the reason that people express confusion about obesity as a disease is that they have been taught to think of obesity as a risk factor, and we do not usually call diseases after their best‐known risk factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…This, in turn, confirms a long-held prejudice that those with higher BMI have, by definition, failed to protect their health, a claim which is often used to justify weight stigma. 98 Perhaps part of the reason that people express confusion about obesity as a disease is that they have been taught to think of obesity as a risk factor, and we do not usually call diseases after their best-known risk factors. For example, as Broadbent points out, smokers are much more likely to get lung cancer but lung cancer is not referred to as "smoking-it is" or "smoking disease."…”

Section: Communicating Obesity Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Philosophically, is obesity really a disease?

Steele

Finucane

2023

Obesity Reviews

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Summary The question of whether obesity should be regarded as a disease remains controversial. One source of controversy can be addressed by distinguishing between two ways in which the word “obesity” is used. In medicine, the word “obesity” now typically refers to some or all of a set of interrelated dysfunctions of metabolism, adipose tissue, and dietary intake regulation. In other contexts, such as government‐funded public education programs, the word “obesity” refers to a body mass index (BMI) category taken to indicate excess body fat. The result is that when medical experts say, “Obesity is a disease,” the majority of outside medicine inevitably takes this to mean “being fat is a disease.” In order to address this ambiguity, we apply key philosophical accounts of disease to the two different senses of “obesity.” We draw two major conclusions: First, although obesity as understood in clinical medicine meets the criteria to be considered a disease, obesity as defined by BMI does not. Second, adequately addressing this disease requires us to distinguish it clearly and unambiguously from high BMI. Making this distinction would help both the public and policymakers to better understand the disease of obesity, facilitating advances in both prevention and treatment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Communicating Obesity Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Philosophically, is obesity really a disease?

Steele

Finucane

2023

Obesity Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The perceived dominance of healthism discourse (i.e. the pervasiveness of health as an ideal, that places the burden of responsibility on the individual; [ 39 ]) within western society led users to feel as though ON was not taken seriously as an eating disorder. Ultimately, these users explained that not being viewed as “sick enough” represented a key barrier in their recovery journey: It hurts when people say my orthorexia is not serious because I don’t have anorexia.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Your struggles are valid, you are worthy of help and you deserve to recover”: narratives of recovery from orthorexia nervosa

2023

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Purpose Limited research has examined recovery processes and conceptualisations of recovery within orthorexia nervosa (ON). This study harnessed Instagram data to examine how people who self-identify with ON use the hashtag #OrthorexiaRecovery and how recovery is represented within this online space. Methods 500 textual posts containing #OrthorexiaRecovery were extracted from Instagram. Co-occurring hashtags were analysed descriptively to determine whether this online space is specific to ON, and textual data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results The hashtag analysis indicated that #OrthorexiaRecovery is being used within a wider context of eating disorder recovery and awareness, but also provides deep insights into experiences of recovery from ON. The thematic analysis generated five themes: the invisibility of orthorexia; a turbulent and continuous process; finding food freedom; from compulsive exercise to intuitive movement; a community of support. Our findings suggest that people with self-reported ON experience recovery as a continuous process and the current invisibility of ON within diagnostic criteria and wider society impedes recovery. While working towards recovery, users aimed to be free from diet culture, become more attuned to their bodies, and develop more adaptive relationships with food and fitness. Users noted a general lack of support for people with ON and so used this online space to create a supportive community, though some content was potentially triggering. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of increased recognition of ON and the potential value of targeting societal norms and harnessing social identity resources within therapeutic interventions for ON.

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“…Though there are obvious benefits of adhering to healthy diets, there are inherent problems with healthism discourses which construe physical and mental health and healthy eating as the responsibility of the individual [ 35 ]. Aside from reinforcing stigma around different bodies [ 36 ], achieving health becomes a continuous effort of managing risk and health ‘threats’ through personal investment and commitment [ 37 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptualisations of health in orthorexia nervosa: a mixed-methods study

et al. 2022

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Purpose Limited research has explored conceptualisations of health and healthy eating in orthorexia nervosa (ON). This mixed-methods study aimed to investigate how ‘health’ and ‘healthy eating’ are conceptualised by individuals at risk for ON. This study examined the potential relationships between health anxiety, beliefs about health controllability and orthorexic symptomatology in our broader sample. Methods A total of 362 participants took a survey on health anxiety (measured with the HAQ), beliefs about the controllability of one’s own health (IMHLC) and ON symptomatology (E-DOS and EHQ). Participants ‘at risk’ for ON (n = 141), also completed an online qualitative survey about conceptualisations of health and healthy eating. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis (part A). The PROCESS macro for SPSS was used for the quantitative analysis (part B). Results Conceptualisations of health and healthy eating were complex. Four themes were generated from our qualitative data: ‘health is more than thin ideals’, ‘healthy food equals healthy mind’, ‘a body that works for you’ and ‘taking control of your body’. Our quantitative analysis revealed that health anxiety and beliefs in health controllability independently predicted ON symptomatology. Conclusion A richer understanding of what health means in the context of ON is important, given the centrality of this concept to the proposed classification of this disordered eating style. Our findings highlight that both health anxiety and health controllability are important targets for future investigation, given their potential relevance to the aetiology and treatment of ON. Level of evidence Level V, based on a descriptive study.

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Introduction to the special issue: public health, healthism, and fatness

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

Philosophically, is obesity really a disease?

Philosophically, is obesity really a disease?

“Your struggles are valid, you are worthy of help and you deserve to recover”: narratives of recovery from orthorexia nervosa

Conceptualisations of health in orthorexia nervosa: a mixed-methods study

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