Addressing Weight Stigma in Pediatrics and Developing New Protocols for Care
Addressing Weight Stigma in Pediatrics and Developing New Protocols for Care
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Issue Date
2017
Authors
Marcus, Rachel
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Abstract
The practice of encouraging weight loss for individuals categorized as overweight and obese often goes unquestioned in medical care. Yet, there is no evidence to show that this practice is effective at achieving its intended goal. In fact, weight-centered approaches are often a detriment to care because physicians can miss screening for diseases in thinner patients while attributing all health complaints to weight in fatter patients. Weight-centered approaches to medical care reinforce weight-based stigma and diet culture that is prevalent throughout society. Stigma and shame cause patients to delay seeking medical care. When physicians endorse weight loss for children, the impact is often harmful both psychologically and physiologically. The rates of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction in children have been steadily on the rise since the late 1990s. Physicians need a new approach to care that de-centers weight loss and promotes holistic well-being for children of all sizes. In 2016, the American Association on Pediatrics (AAP) changed its guidelines to recommend that physicians refrain from weight-based talk with children. Weight a Sec! is a training program designed to help physicians implement this new recommendation. Weight a Sec! provides physicians with tools for building a weight-inclusive approach to care. In this program, physicians will learn more about the impact of weight stigma, become sensitive to eating disorder issues, and take into consideration the variety of factors that promote health or disease in a child's life.