Fatphobia in Health Care Is Way Too Common. Here’s How to Deal – By Jessica Rendall (CNET) / Jan 25, 2023
Here’s what pros suggest for steering the conversation away from the number on the scale and receiving the health care you deserve.
Fat shaming, also called weight discrimination, happens at the doctor’s office when a patient is given inadequate care or blamed for their health because of their body size. It’s a persistent problem in medical settings that can cause patients distress or even cause them to avoid care all together.
In a reverse of what some providers may see as a tough-love way to motivate people to lose weight, bias against fat people induces harmful health effects. It encompasses everything from a provider being less likely to bond with their patient if they see them as overweight, to incorrect dosages of medications and more.
“No one should have to choose between whether they get preventative care, or a cancer screening or treatment for active symptoms because they’re afraid that not only will they get blatantly fat shamed, but that they will not get the care that they’re seeking,” says ani janzen (who styles their name with all lowercase letters), operations and projects leader at the Association for Size Diversity and Health, a nonprofit.
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