Weight stigma is harmful – we can all play our part in ending this harm
For health professionals
- Educate yourselves and others about the complex nature of obesity – these clinical guidelines from Obesity Canada are a great place to start
- If you’re not up to date about the contemporary evidence about treating obesity, consider referring consumers to someone who is
- If you’re talking to someone about their weight, consider reframing the conversation about weight.
- Read about the personal cost of weight issues in Australia from the Weight Issues Network in AUSWIN’s 2020 Report
- Check your weight bias through this Implicit Association Test from Harvard University
- Be aware that weight bias isn’t just words – it can be actions as well
- eye rolling
- sighing if you need to go and find specific equipment for someone in a larger body
- Use person first language and take a person-centred approach
- For example, “people with obesity” – not “obese people”
- Watch this short video from Obesity Canada on how to talk about obesity as a chronic health condition
- Look for and use images that present a neutral or positive perspective about people in larger bodies
- You can access lots of images via the national Australian Weight Issues Network
- The European Coalition for People with Obesity also have a good library of images https://ecpomedia.org/image-bank/
Other resources with suggestions for practical action
- 3 Ways Public Health Professionals Can Combat Weight Stigma, Sonneville and Bauer, 2018
- The WA Health Shift Media Guide contains practical advice about talking about overweight and obesity in a non-stigmatising way
Some of the evidence about the impact of weight stigma
- How and why weight stigma drives the obesity ‘epidemic’ and harms health, Tomiyaya et al, 2018
- Obesity Stigma: Important Considerations for Public Health, Puhl and Heuer, 2010
- Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity, Rubino and Puhl, 2020
If you have other resources you think could be included on this page, please contact us at info@hconc.org.au