Lena Laurila Mosca, Augustus Nutrition 4-11-14 Nutrition on the Web: Fat Bias Among Eating Disorder Specialists

Yale Researchers have found that when it comes to the treatment of eating disorders, those specialists who are providing care are not exempt from exuding fat phobia or fat bias. These health care specialists are further stigmatizing an already othered group. Through anonymous online surveys and questionnaires, researchers discovered that specialists treating eating disorders are attaching negative connotations to their obese patients. Specialists are feeding into the stereotypes that overweight people are lazy, unhygienic, and unintelligent. The problem is that people do not see the severity of obesity. When compared to a patient dealing with anorexia or bulimia, specialists handle the issues of obese patients differently. The truth is those with overweight issues are not treated as those with disorders such as anorexia because it is not viewed as of equal importance. Who can you turn to when the one who is suppose to be in your corner of the ring starts to shame you and your weight? I feel this touches upon the topic how overweight and obese people are treated as a whole by health care and insurance specialists. As a society we have begun to base a persons worth upon the size or their clothes, the number on the scale. Poisoned by media, diet culture, personal attributes such as compassion and loyalty are null if a persons weight exceeds societys expectations. Having been overweight for a majority of my life, this article was particularly intriguing and eye-opening. I have spent over the last 1.5 years losing 50 pounds, changing my nutrition as well as my mindset. I believe in eating a balanced, moderate, and varied diet. I personally believe that a persons weight is not the sole indicator of their health. These health-care professionals are projecting toxic attitudes onto their patients who are most certainly picking up on these projections. By shaming their patients they are shaping how these patients view

themselves. Professionals are not going yield the results they want. First hand I have experienced being shamed by a healthcare professional, so I do not doubt that there are others who have experienced the same situation.

Fact Sheet: -Fat shaming is insulting or making a person feel bad about themselves based on their bigger size -Fat Bias is showing an inclination to project the negative stereotypes attached to being overweight 33% said they feel obese patients have no self control 16% said they obese patients have no willpower 24% said obese patients are unattractive 50% said obese patients are insecure -329 Healthcare professionals were anonymously surveyed about their views of obese patients - The majority 94% believed in treating obese patients with respect and compassion - 56% were found colleagues making negative comments about their obese patients - Media and diet culture promote negative stereotypes of overweight/obese people -Anorexia nor any other eating disorder is more important than the other: They are equally important to treat - The number on the scale is not the sole indicator of health - Your body size does not determine your worth