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Anti-fat bias is widespread and widely recognized in the healthcare community. Healthcare professionals also harbor the same stereotypes as average people concerning obese people, assuming overweight patients are lazy, sloppy, weak willed, undisciplined, ugly or stupid.[1] Physicians report that obesity is one of the least desirable conditions to treat in patients, falling behind only drug addiction, alcoholism and mental illness.[1] Studies show that high patient BIM is closely related to low levels of respect from physicians.[2] The commonality of anti-fat bias among medical professionals makes it easy for patients to recognize.
Anti-fat bias on the part of healthcare professionals leads to negative ramifications for the patient, some of which are high risk. Patients who feel they are the target of weight based discrimination often develop negative feelings towards themselves, their body, and physicians or healthcare systems in general.[3] This can lead to a failure to seek routine or emergency medical health out of fear that they will be stigmatized by their doctor. The shame associated with discrimination originating from a healthcare professional can be more severe than other similar comments, as healthcare professionals are considered high ranking members of society and an authority on health.
Anti-fat bias in medical professionals can be attributed to a combination of previously held views of obese bodies, shaped by media and society, and exposure to anti-fat rhetoric during training. Many residents studying under practicing physicians report hearing disparaging remarks about overweight or obese patients from their superiors and other staff. Residents also report hostile attitudes, even occasionally hateful, towards overweight or obese patients because they are viewed by medical professionals as “noncompliant or a waste of time."[1]
The commonality of the anti-fat bias amongst medical professionals can also serve as a way to popularize and normalize the view. A study conducted at Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that of 329 mental health professionals surveyed, “56% reported that they heard or witnessed other professionals in their field making negative comments about obese patients, 42% believed that practitioners who treat eating disorders often have negative stereotypes about obese patients, and 35% reported that their colleagues have negative attitudes toward obese patients and feel uncomfortable caring for them.”[4] This illustrates the emphasis medical professionals place on the perceived opinions of their peers, which could perpetuate anti-fat bias among otherwise open-minded individuals.
- ^ a b c Gugenheim, Joseph (2013). "Physician Attitudes and Weight Bias". Journal of American Orthopedic Surgery (24): 11.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Huizinga, Margaret (2009). "Physician Respect for Patients with Obesity". Journal of General Internal Medicine. 24.11: 1236–239.
- ^ Phelan, S.M.; Burgess, D.J.; Weazel, M.W.; Hellerstedt, W.L.; Griffin, J.M.; Van Ryn, M. (2015). "Impact of Weight Bias and Stigma on Quality of Care and Outcomes for Patients with Obesity". Obesity Review. 16.4: 319–26.
- ^ Yale. "Mental health professionals treating eating disorders are not immune to weight bias". MP2Wire.