Reducing weight stigma in healthcare is critical to supporting and improving the health of patients and decreasing the risk of adverse outcomes. Published in the Australian Journal of General Practice, a new paper, Supporting healthcare professionals to reduce weight stigma, aims to improve the situation.
A team of researchers from Monash University and other universities and organisations from The Obesity Collective* consulted with community members, healthcare professionals and policymakers to codesign guidance for reducing weight stigma in healthcare.
Their recommendations included targeting individual healthcare professionals and involving clear, practical guidelines and training that leverage the notions of 'do no harm', improving practice and recognising biases. They also found such strategies must be couched in broader structural approaches to weight stigma reduction.
