Weight-inclusive healthcare

Weight discrimination is endemic in healthcare.

Around 63% of UK adults report have experienced weight-based stigma from a doctor (Puhl et al. 2021).

This discrimination manifests in a variety of ways including inaccessible equipment, weight thresholds for referrals or treatment, and stigmatising comments made by practitioners.

In most cases weight discrimination is unconscious but it has serious consequences. Even just anticipating weight discrimination raises cortisol levels and activates stress pathways linked to adverse metabolic outcomes (Tomiyama 2014). It contributes to weight cycling disordered eating, and long-term weight gain as well as depression and poor mental health. Patients who experience or anticipate weight discrimination delay seeking medical support, miss appointments and are become nonadherent to medicines regimes, compounding health issues.

We offer specialist workshops and e-learning training for healthcare practitioners to recognise and address weight discrimination. We have trained doctors, nurses, midwives, occupational therapists and others.