Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) presents “Ask the Expert”, a series where team members from our Bariatric Centre of Excellence answer questions they commonly encounter. For more information on our Regional Bariatric Care Centre, please visit bit.ly/TBRHSC-RBCC. This month’s question is answered by Sarah Miller, Registered Dietician, Regional Bariatric Care Centre at TBRHSC.

Does weight-based bias affect patient care and health outcomes?

40 per cent of adults report experiencing weight bias. Research shows that weight bias comes from a variety of health professionals (e.g. doctors, nurses, dietitians, psychologists, and kinesiologists). Patients at higher body weights may anticipate “shame and blame” related to their weight, leading to avoidance or delay of health services (routine health screening, follow up care and treatment). They also tend to seek more empathetic health care providers, leading to increased visits with different primary care providers, and to emergency departments, which can reduce the quality and consistency of care. The stress of experiencing weight bias leads to affects on mental health, and increases the risk of chronic disease.