Better Training Needed to Curb 'Fatism' Within the Health Professions, Study Finds

[The Straight Story]

Better Training Needed to Curb 'Fatism' Within the Health Professions, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Apr. 15, 2010) — Prejudice towards obese people is rife among trainee health professionals, but can be modified, new research has found.

The study, published in the journal Obesity, says weight-based discrimination by the public has increased by 66% over the past decade with anti-fat prejudice among health professionals found to be high in western nations, and often exceeding that found within the general population.

The research, by scientists at the Universities of Manchester and Hawaii and Yale University, suggests that medical and allied health professions need to present a balanced view of the causes of, and treatment for, obesity when training young professionals in order to reduce the strong prejudice towards obese people.

The team found that the prejudice could be either increased or decreased depending on the type of obesity training pre-service, health-professional students received.

Health profession trainees from Australia were randomly assigned to one of three intensive, seven-week tutorial courses as part of their degree. One tutorial course educated students about the role of diet and physical activity as the primary cause of, and treatment for, obesity. A second tutorial course focused instead on educating students about the uncontrollable causes of obesity, such as the contribution of genes and environmental factors, like junk-food marketing and pricing. Finally, a third control group of students attended a tutorial course that addressed alcohol use in young people.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100415205750.htm

[tonysam]

1. "Sizeism" I believe is a better word. n/t

[Lance_Boyle]

2. WTF? Medical professionals are no longer allowed to tell people that it's bad to be obese?

I wonder if the Australian program bothered to mention that the second cohort (uncontrollable causes of obesity) comprises an infinitesimally tiny number of cases of obesity, while the first comprises 99+ percent?

For jeebus' sake fat activists - obesity is unhealthy, and medical school is for making doctors, not indoctrinating them with the silly notion that obesity is just peachy keen.

[Missy Vixen]

3. You don't even come close to getting it

There are a variety of factors that contribute to obesity. You have no idea how many of the obese are suffering from metabolic problems brought on by a host of issues besides what they're eating as well. Here's an example: Hypothyroidism, which guarantees the patient involved will gain weight for no apparent external reason, is significantly underdiagnosed among the population. Thirteen million have the disease. The medical community believes there is a minimum of another thirteen million undiagnosed in this country.

>not indoctrinating them with the silly notion that obesity is just peachy keen<

I posted an article here not even two months ago detailing a study that reported the fat are actively discriminated against in the doctor's office. We get substandard care. Consistently.

It's not "peachy keen" to discriminate against anyone, let alone the fat. If doctors can't act and practice in a non-prejudiced. professional manner, they need to seek another line of work.

[JackintheGreen]

6. Bravo

:applause:

[dmallind]

5. I'm fine with them considering obseity "bad"

in a medical sense that is. But they should for a start know what the hell they are talking about. I've had docs whine at me about X greater percent of Y condition because of my weight and NEVER had one who could answer "so what IS the risk? Why is a 100% greater chance of this condition any more significant to me than the undeniable fact that buying two lottery tickets increases my chance of the jackpot by 100%?". I've never had one who knew the real longevity impact of obesity or even got close (hint - it's way less than you all think). I've even walked through the math with one doctor who had both my BMI and BF% right in front of him to demonstrate that I would be very overweight/bordxerline obese at 0 yes ZERO % BF and have him say "yes but you still need to work on not being obese".

Even if they can't manage that I'd settle for them being able to come up with ANY other cause for any tiny problem I have. I have one overriding health problem completely unrelated in any way to weight. Other than that I am remarkably healthy with nothing more than a few allergy sniffles and some minor complaints every few years. Every time I come in for allergies why do I need to be weighed and told I'm overweight again (as if this were unknown to me)? Why can't docs just treat what's wrong with me?

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. It is higher than one percent

we are, research is starting to show, closer to at least 20% and perhaps higher. You may want to remember this phrase as the years pass... LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, yep, that's what is going on. See them beautiful chemcilas we use on our plants to increase food production are having very interesting effects on our physiology. It is no coincidence that obesity is going up by leaps and bounds as well as concentration of certain chemicals in fat cells in humans.

[FarCenter]

4. Obese people must be a real challenge for surgeons

I bet they hate to see them walk through the door.

Same thing for nurses and orderlies who have to move them around in hospitals.

I can see why they'd prefer to work on thin people.

[Missy Vixen]

8. So, it's okay to treat them like shit or discriminate against them?

What would your thoughts be if the person was another race, had another sexual orientation than the surgeon or nurse in question?

How about the fact it's a woman? Would that be okay?

How about someone of a different religious faith, or no faith at all?

It's a slippery slope, isn't it?

[etherealtruth]

9. It is never okay to treat anyone like sh*t

Obesity complicates surgery, complicates recovery time .... an obese patient (that is too sick to care for themselves) can take two to three times the amount of time to provide care as a non-obese person in the same condition.

I would never advocate treating other human beings poorly ... but, it is disingenuous to compare obesity to sexual orientation, race, religious beliefs .... or other "identifiers" that in no way complicate care.

Edit to add: I am glad that the issue of bias is being addressed .... because, again , it is never OK to treat others poorly

[Missy Vixen]

10. So, if someone has a metabolic problem that renders them obese, it is "disingenuous"?

It's only okay to discriminate against those who have a REAL issue?

You might want to reread what you wrote.

There is prejudice and bias against the fat. It's no different than the prejudice and bias against anyone else in our society for a variety of stupid and bigoted reasons.

Prejudice and bias do not belong in a medical setting. If the provider in question can't treat a patient with dignity and respect, they need to get out of the profession.