Fattism can be fought - experts
Friday April 16th, 2010
People training to be doctors and nurses are prejudiced - against fat people, researchers claimed today.
Students who join courses tend to think obese people are entirely responsible for their own problems, a study by Manchester University, UK, found.
Researchers said "fattism" could be eliminated among students by careful education.
Researchers from Manchester, UK, and from Hawaii and Yale University, USA, worked together on the project with trainees in Australia.
They say "fattism" has increased by 66 per cent in the last ten years.
During the study, special seven week courses were introduced into medical and health training. One course focused on possible genetic and environmental causes of obesity and this led to big reductions in "obesity prejudice".
A second course studied the effect of diet and physical activity - and this led to a 27 per cent increase in prejudice.
Researcher Dr Kerry O'Brien, from Manchester University, said: "One reason for the high levels of obesity prejudice is that people only hear that obesity is due to poor diet and lack of exercise, which implies that obese people are just lazy and gluttonous, and therefore deserve criticism.
"But, uncontrollable factors, such as genes, the environment and neurophysiology, play an important role. Weight status is, to a great extent, inherited."
She added: "It's crucial that health professionals, such as nurses, doctors, dieticians and physical educators, are aware of these other influences, as well as their own potential prejudices, and don't just blame the individual for their weight status.
"Those tasked with providing health services to obese people may become frustrated with patients when they do not lose weight following counselling and treatment, but the research shows that weight loss is extremely difficult to maintain long term. Obese people are constantly fighting their physiology and the environment.
"If professionals keep this in mind it may help in not stigmatising their clients."
* A second analysis today urges people to keep eating "five-a-day" fruit and vegetables - although recent research said this may have little impact on cancer risk.
The editor of The Lancet says fruit and vegetables protect against heart disease and stroke - and also protect strongly against some cancers, including lung, bowel and mouth cancer.
O'Brien K.S., Puhl R., Latner J., Mir A., Hunter J. Reducing anti-fat prejudice in pre-service health students: A randomized trial. Obesity (advanced online access) 2010.
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