2023-08-22 00:00:19
According to the WHO, in 2016 there were more than 1.9 billion overweight adults, of whom more than 650 million were obese.
Fatphobia is a sociocultural, economic and political phenomenon that is loaded with evaluative prejudices and incites hatred against bodies that do not fall within the normative body canons.
For medical care it is not enough to have knowledge, but also to use the right words and the right tone.
Patient care is too complicated because not only knowledge is required but also enough tact. To achieve good results it is necessary to use the correct words because otherwise the indications can be misrepresented. In fact, there is currently a discussion about the presumed responsibility that doctors have with the expression “fatphobia” that is becoming more and more common.
First of all, the obesity It is a public health problem of great proportions. It is an issue that goes beyond the physical image of a person because it also has an impact on her quality of life.
In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) mentions that since 1975 obesity has tripled worldwide. In fact, in 2016 alone there were more than 1.9 billion overweight adults, of whom more than 650 million were obese.
What is fatphobia?
According to Council to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination of Mexico City (Copred) It is the discrimination experienced by overweight or obese people because of their physical appearance. This concept has its origin in the expression in English fatphobia.
He also mentions that it is a sociocultural, economic and political phenomenon that is loaded with evaluative prejudices and incites hatred against bodies that do not fall within the normative body canons
All this comes up from a article published by the Spanish newspaper Heraldo de Aragón. What he claims is that the attacks and ridicule against people who have excess body mass begin inside the doctor’s office.
The patient should never be “scolded”
One of the common mistakes that doctors is to “scold” the patients. The use of language is essential during the service to achieve good results. Furthermore, it is not only important what is said but also the way in which it is said.
With this in mind, although obesity is a disease, patients should always be treated with respect. Through a pleasant and cordial conversation, you should be offered instructions to change your lifestyle and begin to lose weight gradually.
On the other hand, it is worth remembering the research Physician respect for patients with obesity published in Pubmed. The work consisted of following up 40 doctors and 238 patients enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of doctor-patient communication.
One of the conclusions obtained was that patients with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) they received less respect from their doctors. It was not necessarily related to the quality of the service but to the comments and observations made during the consultation.
Ultimately, to avoid fatphobia it is necessary to make derogatory comments towards people because of their weight. Any type of mockery or attack can cause emotional damage, in addition to not being useful to generate fundamental changes.
Also read:
Most people with obesity have suffered discrimination within the medical office
Doctor complains: “Telling a patient that he is obese is not fatphobia”
Doctors have little respect for patients with obesity: Is there fatphobia in the offices?
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