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Bias against obese people increasing, study says
 
By Sharon Kirkey , Canwest News Service

With more people becoming obese, it would stand to reason attitudes toward
obese people should be getting more tolerant. But a major new study shows
the opposite is true.

Yale University scientists who searched through medical studies on weight
bias published between January 2000 and May 2008 found:

More than half of 620 doctors surveyed view obese patients as "awkward,"
"unattractive," "ugly" and "non-compliant." A third went further, painting
the obese as weak-willed, sloppy and lazy. Even dietitians, personal
trainers and doctors who specialize in treating obesity exhibit fat phobia.

College students asked to rank pictures of hypothetical sexual partners
that included an obese partner or partners with various disabilities -
including missing an arm or described as having history of sexually
transmitted diseases - ranked the obese person as the least desirable
sexual partner compared to the others.

In one study of nearly 3,000 people, obese respondents were 37 times more
likely than normal-weight to report employment discrimination - not being
hired for a job, not getting promoted and wrongful termination. Obese
employees are considered less conscientious, "less agreeable" and less
emotionally stable than "normal weight" workers.

"People think sometimes that, because obesity rates continue to increase,
we really shouldn't have this problem with bias and prejudice, that
attitudes should be getting better and more tolerant," says Rebecca Puhl,
co-author of the study published in the most recent issue of the journal
Obesity and director of research at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and
Obesity at Yale.

"But what we see is that the weight bias is getting worse."

In the past year alone in studies, obese people have been held partially
responsible for rising fuel prices, global warming and causing weight gain
in their friends, Puhl and co-author Chelsea Heuer write.

In television and in film, people in fat suits and obese characters are
played for fat gags, and reality shows such as the Biggest Loser perpetuate
the stigma. For nearly two-thirds of the American population alone, the
only place on television where they see bodies similar to their own "is on
shows where the entire cast is trying desperately to become thin," Puhl and
Heuer write.

Weight bias is a "very pervasive problem that continues to really paralyze
people in many aspects of their daily life," Puhl said in an interview.

"This a category of stigma that is not protected legally at all. Whereas we
have protections in place for gender based, or racial or age based
discrimination, there are no legal protections in place for people who are
discriminated against because of their weight.

"That sends a message that it's okay to do this."

There has been some positive news for obese people in Canada. As of this
year, thanks to a Canadian Transportation Agency ruling on disabled airline
passengers, an obese person can be allocated two seats for the price of
one.

The researchers found that obese people face stigma and discrimination at
every stage of the employment process, from getting hired to getting fired.
They're more likely to get less pay for equal work and Puhl says that
"striking" experimental studies show people "would rather hire an
unqualified thin person than a qualified overweight person with better
credentials."

In surveys, medical students report "with nearly total agreement," that
severely obese patients are the most common target of derogatory humour by
doctors, residents and students, most often in surgery or
obstetrics-gynecology settings. Overweight and obese children are also
targets of humour, they said.

Obese people report being stigmatized about their weight by their mothers,
fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends and spouses.

They're more likely to suffer depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and even
suicidal behaviours as a result, Puhl says, and they cope with the stress
and trauma by eating unhealthy and avoiding physical activity "because
those are settings where they often are criticized and teased and
stigmatized."

Puhl says media portrayals of the obese need to be challenged, and
legislation is needed to protect people from weight-based discrimination.

"I think we need to show examples of diverse body types. We need to show
that a person can be successful, ambitious and happy and reach their life
goals, even if they're not a size 4."

In 2004, nearly seven million Canadians were overweight, and another 4.5
million were obese.