Weight stigma impacts health care experiences for women

There are many reasons people avoid health care visits, and while much attention has been necessarily placed on financial barriers, avoidance stemming from weight bias and stigma has been largely overlooked.

A new study from the University of Minnesota, recently published in Medical Research Archives, reveals that weight-related stigma plays a negative role in medical care and can create barriers to access.

The researchers surveyed over 300 participants in order to discover shaming triggers during medical visits and ways to reduce these triggers. The team exclusively studied women, who often experience weight stigma at higher rates than men.

“It is critical for us to know why people are avoiding health care because they could be avoiding or delaying lifesaving preventive care. Weight stigma is one of the reasons people are avoiding care and this study helps us identify policy and procedure changes that could make a difference,” said lead author Virginia Ramseyer Winter, an associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development School of Social Work.

They found:

• Patients are delaying care because of the stigma of being weighed. Therefore, there is a need to determine when it is medically necessary to weigh patients.
• Participants with higher fear of experiencing weight stigma were more likely to report increased comfort accessing care if providers make various adjustments.
• Helpful adjustments include making it clear that being weighed is optional, posting a sign above the scale that weight does not equal or determine health, not using BMI, and having furniture and equipment that accommodates all body sizes.

“These factors are ones that health care systems and providers have direct control over and can remedy to improve health care experiences and health outcomes,” said co-author Elizabeth O’Neill, an associate professor of social work at Washburn University. “Weight-inclusive practices can make a meaningful difference in women’s health care satisfaction and utilization.”

The researchers hope their findings will be used to implement policy and procedure changes in health care to create an environment that is welcoming for all people.