What’s the name? Weight stigma and the battle against obesity

Abstract

Childhood obesity has spread worldwide, it is on the rise, starts earlier and is more severe, despite all treatment attempts. According to recent studies, weight stigma is a factor that can hinder the success of therapies. Healthcare workers, mainly paediatricians, need to feel the urgency of anti-stigma training. The use of non-stigmatizing terminologies and images in various areas (school, sports clubs, healthcare, media, society in general) can improve disease management.

SARS-CoV-2 e Pediatria: riorganizzare le modalità di lavoro e la comunicazione, ma come?

“…Questo metodo pertanto essere adottato da genitori, insegnanti, politici, pediatri e da tutti gli altri operatori sanitari, anziché farsi intrappolare dal circolo vizioso che dal fallimento terapeutico porta allo stigma, al rifiuto di una formazione professionale aggiornata e quindi alla negazione di cure adeguate. Per essere operativi, i Centri sopravvissuti aderenti al Gruppo di Studio sull'Obesità della Società Italiana di Endocrinologia e Diabetologia Pediatrica (SIEPD) hanno proposto un questionario da far compilare ai genitori e agli adolescenti su come chiamare questa malattia per motivarli e non deriderli 13 . Moltissime e inattese sono state le adesioni da ogni parte d'Italia!…”

Weight stigma is overlooked in commercial‐grade mobile applications for weight loss and weight‐related behaviors

“…Further, existing literature highlights that individuals often vary in the terms they prefer to use when discussing their body size (i.e., obesity, larger body, higher weight, and fat) 13‐15 . This provides an opportunity to include features that allow users to select the language they will encounter during app use, resulting in a more personalized experience.…”

“…One form of weight stigma involves assuming that individuals of higher body weight are unhealthy solely based on their body size, and providing BMI feedback within Apps can exacerbate these assumptions by over-interpreting BMI (e.g., suggesting that an individual with a BMI in the overweight or obese range is not healthy or could become healthier, implying lack of health) or by providing feedback to uninformed users where misunderstanding and shame may be experienced (i.e., being labeled obese without any information for understanding that feedback). [13][14][15] Goal setting and planning Stock photos or avatars embedded within App feature only thin and/or fit bodies.…”

“…Further, existing literature highlights that individuals often vary in the terms they prefer to use when discussing their body size (i.e., obesity, larger body, higher weight, and fat). [13][14][15] This provides an opportunity to include features that allow users to select the language they will encounter during app use, resulting in a more personalized experience. Resources from the Rudd Center also include a media gallery where images of individuals with larger bodies can be accessed and used to increase representation of various body sizes within commercially available apps (examples 5 and 7 illustrated in Table 1).…”

It's Time for Counselors to Modify Our Language: It Matters When We Call Our Clients Schizophrenics Versus People With Schizophrenia

“…When words that were originally intended to be used as descriptors to help refer to one aspect of a person are instead used as labels that encompass the totality of the person, they can perpetuate stereotypes, stigma, and discrimination (Rubini et al, 2007). Within the past few years, there has been an increasing awareness about the potential negative effects of labels that equate people with their psychiatric diagnoses such as the potential for heightened levels of stigma (Parrish et al, 2019; Tanas et al, 2020), including internalized stigma (Mackenzie, 2017; Pivovarova & Stein, 2019).…”