Stop calling people fat! "Weight discrimination" affects physical and mental health and increases the risk of death by 60%
Is weight discrimination more harmful than obesity? Affect self-regulation ability
Although “obesity” has an objective medical definition, for overweight people, once they are labeled as obese, it will not only increase psychological stress, but also increase the risk of death, forming a vicious cycle of “weight discrimination”? A review study pointed out that “weight shaming” for overweight people not only causes cortisol to rise, but also causes them to abuse alcohol and drugs to cope with negative emotions or lose weight drastically, causing health and life risks.
A literature review study published in “BMC Medicine” claimed that “weight shaming” is more harmful to health than the objective weight number itself. The outside world’s discriminatory view of being overweight will not only lead to an increased risk of mortality and chronic diseases among overweight people. What’s even more ironic is that weight shaming can also lead to various wrong behaviors, increase the risk of obesity in overweight people, and make them prone to becoming fatter and less healthy.
Experiments have found that when subjects experience weight shame, their eating capacity will increase, their self-regulation ability will decrease, and cortisol, which easily increases the risk of obesity, will also increase, especially in those who are overweight or those who think they are overweight. .
Obesity “stigma” affects physical and mental health, risk of death increases by 60%
In addition, analysis using data from the Midlife Population Survey of the United States (MIDUS) also shows that people who experience weight discrimination have an increased risk of death (based on all-cause mortality) by nearly 60%. Weight discrimination also affects an individual’s self-identity, making them more likely to see themselves as “dysfunctional.” It reflects the direct and indirect impact of chronic social pressure on individuals behind weight discrimination.
Not only that, the “stigma” of obesity and overweight also has a profound negative impact on mental health. A review of nationally representative data in the United States found that people who believe they have been discriminated against because of their weight are 2.5 times more likely to develop mood disorders or depression than the general population. Even if your weight falls within the normal range defined by BMI, as long as you feel that you are overweight or obese, it may affect physiological values such as blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and glycosylated hemoglobin.
Does being fat mean laziness and weak will? Medical staff more likely to engage in “fat discrimination”
At the same time, the social medical system’s view of obesity also has a significant impact on overweight people. A study of 2,284 physicians pointed out that medical professionals have stronger “anti-obesity” biases, whether this tendency is explicit or implicit.
The current popular anti-obesity mentality has inadvertently made weight discrimination worse, because obesity is seen as a demonstration of personal responsibility and willpower. Healthcare workers tend to associate obese people with negative stereotypes such as “lazy” and “weak-willed”, ignoring that the reasons why they are overweight may have involuntary factors from various levels such as genes and social environment. Some studies have found that thinner patients are more likely to receive eye contact and smiles from physicians, while the same medical staff may avoid eye contact with overweight patients. These cultural biases implicit in daily life may cause health damage to overweight people.
Is fat shaming harmful? Eat less and move more is not the only solution
How to avoid the harm caused by “fat shaming” and “weight discrimination”? Harvard Medical School pointed out that an important method is to avoid referring to the other person as “obese” in spoken vocabulary (Editor’s note: such as the colloquial “fat man”). At the same time, the public must understand that obesity is a metabolic disease, and some Members of society suffering from obesity should still be treated as full human beings.
In addition, Harvard Medical School also pointed out that the cookie-cutter weight management advice of “eat less and move more” is of little benefit to those who suffer from weight discrimination. Such views do not take into account the many factors that cause obesity, including Environmental, genetic, physiological diseases, and overweight people themselves are regarded as the only cause of their obesity.
An enlightened and progressive society should not use the appearance of an object as a normal reason for discrimination and prejudice. It’s important for health care practitioners to understand that being overweight can be a sign of abnormal metabolic health, rather than assuming that they will always overeat.
Harvard Medical School and this research review jointly call on overweight and obese patients to seek the assistance of empathetic medical staff with obesity expertise as much as possible, which will help to obtain more appropriate weight care methods and reduce the risk of obesity. The negative consequences of weight discrimination.
Source:
Weight stigma: As harmful as obesity itself?
How and why weight stigma drives the obesity ’epidemic’ and harms health
Further reading:
Is eating less and moving more a big myth? Psychologist reveals 3 major weight loss mines
