Health Professionals Flashcards
are there any adverse health or ethical implications of promoting weight loss
yes
Promoting weight loss contributes to weight
bias and discrimination, leads to people
assuming health is based on body size, puts
people at risk for consequences of weight
cycling and increases risk for eating disorders,
all of which negatively impact health and
wellbeing.
HIGHER BODY WEIGHT
CAUSES MORBIDITY AND
MORTALITY
False
BMI does not tell us about body composition or
disease risk. Assumptions about weight and
morbidity/mortality are based on correlation,
not causation. Many confounding variables
impact the relationship between weight and
health and are not accounted for in studies
what exactly is diet culture and how does it impact you
a system of beliefs that worship thinness and promotes weight loss
diet culture creates food rules making you feel guilty
it demonizes certain ways of eating while
promoting others, causing you to feel shame for
eating certain foods and taking away the pleasure
what is intuitive eating
a self care eating framework
- which integrate instinct, emotion, an rational thought and was created by two dietitian
weight inclusive, evidence based model with a validated assessment scale and over 100 studies to date
what does intuitive eating mean
- mind body approach
- weight neutral
- interoceptive awareness
-rejecting diet culture
What can intuitive eating do?
stop dieting cycle
halt the cycle of restriction and self confidence understand physical and emotion needs
re gain body autonomy and develop trust
the 10 principles of intuitive eating
who is it for and how do we help
- anxious too go out
- feeling gulity for certain certain foods
-on and off dieting for years
-managing a health condition
fatphobia
“Also known as anti-fat, is the implicit and explicit bias of overweight individuals that
is rooted in a sense of blame and presumed moral failing. Being overweight and/or fat
is highly stigmatized in Western Culture. Anti-fatness is intrinsically linked to anti-
blackness, racism, classism, misogyny, and many other systems of oppression
what does fatphobia look in practice
a focus on weight instead of actual health
prescription of weight loss as if it an ethical and evidence based intervention
- higher weight people not being included in research and the resulting harms being blamed on weight
Weight centric care the assumptions
Using weight as a primary indicator of health
- weight is under individual control
-weight gain caused by intake> output
Health can be predicted by weight
Excess body weight causes disease and death
Long term weight loss involves modifying diet
and eating
Losing weight = better health
Weight centric care the Harmful
i how people in larger bodies are viewed
Fuels society’s obsession with body & weight
Continues to drive weight stigma and contributes to
discrimination
Weight loss is NOT an evidence based, effective, or
ethical recommendation
Long term health consequences = inflammation, cardiac
incidents, weight cycling, impacts of stress… and all of
the excess mortality that gets blamed on ‘obesity’
weight stigma in health care
Increases eating disorder &
depression & anxiety risk
Avoidance of health care
Improper diagnoses and
delayed treatment
Damaging to emotional and
physical health, and it
decreases quality of life
What can we do about weight stigma
address weight bias
listen without assumption
dont diagnose patients based on body size
explore with permission
screen all patients
create an inclusive welcoming environment
reduce focus on weight
