Dan

Just wondering why otherwise scientific and evidence informed physicians that brand themselves as “sensible” can confidently hold ignorant and harmful attitudes about obesity? (Rhetorical question.) This bias irritates me to no end because during a consult, I often ask if they have ever experienced harm or judgement from a physician or health care provider about their weight. The stories they share are immediate, tangible, and relevant - they don’t have to think hard to come up with examples. Their impact can be devastating but talking about them, apologizing on behalf of medicine and our ignorance can be helpful. Medicine has done a lot of harm to patients - especially with obesity. I have brief conversations with specialists longitudinally over time to try to challenge and correct their bias because bias doesn’t tend to resolve in one meeting. I don’t think they are bad people - it is just a cognitive bias that causes harm and needs to be corrected. I will do my best though to protect patients from them and choose a different specialist for them if I can. There is irrefutable evidence now and deep understanding of obesity as a biologically driven complex disease that is not simply due to personal choices and behaviour This is why, when I hear ignorance from physicians on social media, it bothers me and think it needs proper push back.

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