We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Effective strategies in ending weight stigma in healthcare.
- Authors
Talumaa, Britta; Brown, Adrian; Batterham, Rachel L.; Kalea, Anastasia Z.
- Abstract
Summary: Weight stigma impacts negatively healthcare quality and hinders public health goals. The aim of this review was to identify strategies for minimizing weight bias among healthcare professionals and explore future research directions. An electronic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus (until June 2020). Studies on weight stigma reduction in healthcare students, trainees and professionals were assessed based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A narrative synthesis was undertaken to analyze emerging themes. We identified five stigma reduction strategies in healthcare: (i) increased education, (ii) causal information and controllability, (iii) empathy evoking, (iv) weight‐inclusive approach, and (v) mixed methodology. Weight stigma needs to be addressed early on and continuously throughout healthcare education and practice, by teaching the genetic and socioenvironmental determinants of weight, and explicitly discussing the sources, impact and implications of stigma. There is a need to move away from a solely weight‐centric approach to healthcare to a health‐focused weight‐inclusive one. Assessing the effects of weight stigma in epidemiological research is equally important. The ethical argument and evidence base for the need to reduce weight stigma in healthcare and beyond is strong. Although evidence on long‐term stigma reduction is emerging, precautionary action is needed.
- Subjects
SOCIAL stigma; MEDICAL personnel; EPIDEMIOLOGICAL research; ELECTRONIC information resource searching; MEDICAL care
- Publication
Obesity Reviews, 2022, Vol 23, Issue 10, p1
- ISSN
1467-7881
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/obr.13494