Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity

Abstract

People with obesity commonly face a pervasive, resilient form of social stigma. They are often subject to discrimination in the workplace as well as in educational and healthcare settings. Research indicates that weight stigma can cause physical and psychological harm, and that affected individuals are less likely to receive adequate care. For these reasons, weight stigma damages health, undermines human and social rights, and is unacceptable in modern societies. To inform healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public about this issue, a multidisciplinary group of international experts, including representatives of scientific organizations, reviewed available evidence on the causes and harms of weight stigma and, using a modified Delphi process, developed a joint consensus statement with recommendations to eliminate weight bias. Academic institutions, professional organizations, media, public-health authorities, and governments should encourage education about weight stigma to facilitate a new public narrative about obesity, coherent with modern scientific knowledge.

Management of prepregnancy, pregnancy, and postpartum obesity from the FIGO Pregnancy and Non‐Communicable Diseases Committee: A FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) guideline

“…The terms “obese” and “obesity” may be received negatively by patients due to the associated weight‐related stigma that is commonly experienced by people with obesity in society, including healthcare settings 44,163,164 . Stigmatization about weight can negatively influence mood, self‐esteem, and weight‐related behaviors, including food intake and physical activity.…”

“…Stigmatization about weight can negatively influence mood, self‐esteem, and weight‐related behaviors, including food intake and physical activity. Experience of such stigmatization is associated with increased obesity, weight gain, and inflammation, ultimately influencing mortality and other outcomes 163 . Obstetricians and gynecologists should consider their individual bias toward women with obesity and take steps to address this so that they can offer the same respectful clinical care that women with lower BMIs receive 164 .…”

European Association for the Study of Obesity Position Statement on the Global COVID-19 Pandemic

“…We recognize that people with obesity face many challenges in their communities, including pervasive weight bias and stigma [6]. We have seen an increasing frequency of fat shaming memes on social media, which perpetuate misconceptions about obesity and about people with obesity.…”

Ending weight bias and the stigma of obesity

“…In addition, it is becoming increasingly clear that people with obesity and overweight are also facing stigma in many aspects of their lives, which not only has a damaging effect on the individual's mental health but can also influence the quality of health care that affected people receive. In a Consensus Statement published in Nature Medicine, Francesco Rubino and colleagues call for an end to weight bias and obesity stigma and set out a pledge to help achieve this aim 1 .…”

“…• To encourage and support educational initiatives aimed at eradicating weight bias through dissemination of modern-day knowledge of obesity and body-weight regulation. • To encourage and support initiatives aimed at preventing weight-based discrimination in the workplace, education and health care settings 1 .…”