Redwood City, CA (PRWEB) April 08, 2015
The Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) has released their latest educational tool, an infographic highlighting the negative effects weight stigma has on health and the need for a more balanced approach, centered on compassionate care and sustainable, life-enhancing practices. “The Burden of Weight Stigma” infographic is the latest resource in a collection of Health At Every Size® tools made available to the public, free of charge.
With National Public Health Week taking place in the US this week, it is common to see the “war on obesity” as a central theme in these public health initiatives. ASDAH believes that approach to be counterproductive. Dr. Jenny Copeland, ASDAH’s Educational Committee Chair and Clinical Psychologist with Mercy Clinic in Joplin, Missouri, states, “We simply cannot talk about health without first talking about stigma, especially when it comes to body size. Most efforts to combat the ‘obesity epidemic’ are quite harmful to health in the long run. As public health promoters and health care providers it is time we realize that the fear mongering surrounding 'obesity' and shaming others for our perceptions of their lifestyle behaviors actually contributes to their health problems and may ultimately keep them out of our offices - a clear violation of our promise to first do no harm.”
ASDAH’s infographic suggests there is an alternative to the “war on obesity”; that alternative is a call for peaceful practices by way of the Health At Every Size® principles. Weight, shape and Body Mass Index (BMI) are not pathologized with the HAES® approach. Instead, this growing movement supports a much broader and more sustainable definition of health that should be left for individuals to explore, free from any assumptions or judgment.
“The Burden of Weight Stigma” is now available on ASDAH’s website. Follow the link to view and share the message https://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/content.asp?id=261
About ASDAH: The Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) is an international professional organization started in 2003. It is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization whose diverse membership is committed to education, research, and the provision of services which enhance health and well-being, and which are free from weight-based assumptions and weight discrimination. ASDAH promotes the Health At Every Size® (HAES®) approach to health. HAES advocates work to promote size acceptance, end weight stigma, and lessen the cultural obsession with weight loss and thinness. Learn more about ASDAH and the HAES approach on the organization’s website at https://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/.
Health At Every Size and HAES are registered trademarks of the Association for Size Diversity and Health.