Reducing Weight Bias in Obesity Management, Practice and Policy

Policy makers developing obesity policies should assess and reflect on their own attitudes and beliefs related to obesity 1.

• Public health policy makers should avoid using stigmatising language and images. It is well established that shaming does not change behaviours. In fact, shaming can increase the likelihood of individuals pursuing unhealthy behaviours and has no place in an evidence-based approach to obesity management 2, 3.

• Avoid making assumptions in population health policies that healthy behaviours will or should result in weight change. Weight is not a behaviour and should not be a target for behaviour change. Avoid evaluating healthy eating and physical activity policies, programmes, and campaigns in terms of population-level weight or body mass index outcomes.

Instead, emphasise health and quality of life for people of all sizes. As weight bias contributes to health and social inequalities, advocate for and support people living with obesity. This includes supporting policy action to prevent weight bias and weight-based discrimination 2-8 .