The Impact of Weight Bias: As Said With Joe Nadglowski, President/CEO, Obesity Action Coalition

By Joe Nadglowski, President/CEO, Obesity Action Coalition, as told to Alexandra Benisek

In the WebMD webinar “The impact of weight bias”, Joe Nadglowski, President and CEO of the Obesity Action Coalition, answered questions from viewers about how body weight discrimination can affect your life.

We know that there are at least perceptions that weight bias is different in different cultures. It could be this idea that living in a larger body is more acceptable in some cultures than others.

But the latest research shows that because of the internet, Instagram, TikTok, and new technology, there is a push for the thinnest bodies to be the flattering bodies. This is happening everywhere.

We recognize that there may be some differences between cultures, but it is something we need to study further. If you really look at the research on weight bias, there are examples that exist in almost every culture in the world.

No. In fact, the opposite is true. If we help people address the biases they face, they will have less stress and pressure. And that makes them more likely to lose weight over time.

We are not saying that obesity is good. Obesity has health consequences, but we must treat people with compassion. Just like you are not going to blame or shame someone who has cancer, even if they engaged in behaviors that contributed to their cancer.

Airlines are a particular challenge. I find the airlines try harder. For example, Southwest Airlines has what they call their “client size” policy, which allows people to basically have two seats for the cost of one, as long as you plan ahead.

But we still hear stories from airlines where certain rules are not applied consistently. One of our wishes would be for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to actually set standard policies instead of allowing airlines to get on with their own.

This is a question I get all the time. One of our challenges is the lack of education of health care providers about obesity. In reality, it leaves out all the complicated issues raised, whether they are adverse childhood events or social determinants of health.

One of the things that I’m passionate about is that when a healthcare provider talks to someone about their obesity, we really encourage them to use a trauma-informed approach.

We tell doctors that their patient may have had an adverse experience with a health care provider, and this is a complicated subject. We have to take this trauma-informed approach to understand and not make the person feel worse about themselves.

Poverty and low socioeconomic status contribute to obesity in general. This is because low-quality food is available at low cost.

It’s interesting how bias and stigma play into that.

How is the stigma of low socioeconomic status, body weight, race or gender spread? But because obesity often affects people of lower socioeconomic status, the stigmas affect them more. We’ll probably see it more in terms of compensation.

One of the things I often do is challenge parents to look at their school’s anti-bullying materials. Weight-based bullying is probably a primary form of bullying. But the reality is that we don’t have good data on this.

However, weight-based bullying is unlikely to be mentioned in school policies. I know there are some people who are passionate about trying to change that.

I think most people who struggle with their obesity and their obesity health want to do something and have probably tried a lot. This idea that they are not trying and that we should blame and shame people is false.

I have spoken to thousands of people across the country and I can count on my fingers the number who told me it was a stigmatizing event that motivated them to address their obesity.

For the vast majority of people, it’s a compassionate, empathetic, or health-related event that moves them toward change.

I challenge people to look at themselves and think, “Do you really know what this person is going through?” Instead of shaming and blaming them, have an honest conversation with them to see where they are on their journey.

I think weight tables are interesting things. I think what’s really missing is figuring out the best weight for someone. What leads them to have the best quality of health and quality of life possible?

I don’t think that is determined randomly on a chart based on averages. It has to be a very individual conversation. I think weight charts are useless.

Instead, I encourage people to talk to their health care provider and ask if their weight is affecting their health. That should be the way people approach their weight.

Be direct. If they are blaming their weight for all their problems, challenge them by asking, “If I were a thin or normal weight person, how would I rate these kinds of things?”

Now, the reality is that obesity contributes to many health problems. So losing some weight can help with certain conditions. Even modest weight loss can help. But I do think it’s important that you challenge them to test to be sure.

I have a lot of optimism in our youth these days. Maybe they are not experiencing much bullying from their friend group. But we have to remember that it is worth making periodic reviews.

Have that conversation. Ask them if they feel treated differently from their friends because of their body size. Especially if you are given the opportunity to have these conversations.

Watch the online replay of the webinar “The impact of weight bias”.