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Doctors who "fat shame" patients do more harm than good, new research suggests.
"Disrespectful treatment and medical fat shaming, in an attempt to motivate people to change their behavior, is stressful and can cause patients to delay health care-seeking or avoid interacting with providers," Joan Chrisler, a professor of psychology at Connecticut College, said in an American Psychological Association (APA) news release.
"Disrespectful treatment and medical fat shaming, in an attempt to motivate people to change their behavior, is stressful and can cause patients to delay health care-seeking or avoid interacting with providers," Joan Chrisler, a professor of psychology at Connecticut College, said in an American Psychological Association (APA) news release.
"Recommending different treatments for patients with the same condition based on their weight is unethical and a form of malpractice," Chrisler said. "Research has shown that doctors repeatedly advise weight loss for fat patients while recommending CAT scans, blood work or physical therapy for other, average-weight patients."
In addition, she noted that doctors sometimes fail to take overweight or obese patients' health complaints seriously or assume that their weight is causing their symptoms.
In addition, she noted that doctors sometimes fail to take overweight or obese patients' health complaints seriously or assume that their weight is causing their symptoms.
There's no research showing exactly how much weight is too much, according to Chrisler. She said doctors often assume overweight patients are unhealthy, even though other factors -- such as genetics, diet, stress and poverty -- also play a role.
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