Among the stigmatizing practices surrounding obesity, there is one that remains controversial due to the parties involved and stands out for its frequency and the effects it has on patients and the population. Sometimes, the communication strategies used by health professionals to convey all possible consequences of being obese are not adequate. In a context where rejection of the condition of being obese takes on shades of immorality, it becomes difficult to strip professional practice of personal imaginaries and attitudes related to obesity.
Examples of these practices can be observed both in one-on-one consultations and in the ways some experts communicate in public forums. This has been scientifically demonstrated in studies measuring the guilt and shame patients feel when visiting health professionals, mainly due to their weight, hygiene practices, or sexuality. There is a very thin line between warning a patient about the risks of a condition and communicating these risks in a way that makes the patient feel ashamed of themselves. When patients feel guilty and ashamed, they are less likely to follow treatment. The best way to communicate these risks, according to studies, is to focus on practices rather than condemning the patient for being overweight or obese.
However, these practices have moved beyond the consultation room and are also observable in more public arenas. On social media, memes circulate such as “what nutritionists don’t say” or “what doctors don’t say,” which often mock patients’ ignorance during consultations. Phrases like: “A patient told me: ‘I’m wearing a waist trainer to lose weight faster,’” or “When I exercise, I sweat a lot of fat,” accompanied by a laughing emoji, are examples of these memes. Does choosing a profession that is in constant contact with such cases grant a “license to mock”? Does having specialized knowledge make us feel superior to those who lack it? Knowledge then ceases to be a tool for improving the environment and becomes a means of distinguishing oneself from the “ignorant.” We cannot blame those who lack specialized knowledge about nutrition, a subject that is increasingly complex. With the vast amount of information produced daily, even specialists struggle to stay updated—why would we expect non-specialists to know all the nuances?
Nutrition and food education for the population is therefore essential for achieving better results than blaming and stigmatizing. But how can we promote effective food policies when some consulted specialists, due to their specific and specialized knowledge in a certain area, do not recognize that the phenomenon requires transdisciplinary collaboration?
It would take more than three lifetimes to become a specialist in the entire field. What we can begin to do is question our own prejudices that make us forget that those with overweight or obesity are people; follow the example of health professionals who treat patients humanely; and, on the other hand, maintain an open spirit toward the production of transdisciplinary knowledge. As Socrates said: “I only know that I know nothing,” and I, I only know that I haven’t had dinner.
Originally published in El Economista
— This article was originally published in Spanish by Liliana Martínez Lomelí. Translation generated with AI from the original text.