An online survey of 2,284 doctors revealed a strong tendency among MDs to demonstrate anti-fat biases, no matter their own gender or weight.
The study adds to a growing body of research on doctors and weight bias. In landmark 2003 research from the University of Pennsylvania, for instance, more than half of the 620 primary-care doctors surveyed characterized their obese patients as "awkward," "unattractive," "ugly," and "noncompliant"—the latter meaning that they wouldn't follow recommendations.
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Unfortunately, such biases can have a dramatic impact on women’s health, resulting in incorrect assessments of a patient’s condition or poor medical advice.
"I hear so many stories of doctors making assumptions about patients' health and lifestyles based on their appearance," says Arya Sharma, MD, PhD, chair of obesity research and management at the University of Alberta. Ironically, overweight women aren’t necessarily less healthy than their slimmer peers: Several studies show that people considered overweight have lower mortality rates than those viewed as being of normal weight.
Biases among MDs also mean that overweight women are less likely to seek medical care. "Obese women go less frequently for Pap tests than their thinner counterparts because of the prejudice they run into," says Joseph Majdan, MD, a cardiologist at Jefferson Medical College. Research also shows that obese women typically get fewer screenings for breast and colorectal cancer.
If your own doc is a weight-shamer—maybe they blame medical problems on your weight without running tests, or else they make insensitive, unsupportive comments about your size—have a conversation about the problem. “Ultimately, both parties will benefit,” says Juan Rivera, MD, a preventive cardiologist and assistant professor at Miami School of Medicine. “And if your physician doesn’t take criticism well, it might be a good time to switch doctors.”
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