Weight Bias in Healthcare IEM

Faculty experts will review how weight bias toward patients with higher body weights is pervasive among health professionals and can negatively influence patient communication, as well as patients’ behavior and health outcomes. Learners will explore how to include training and curricula in patient care that addresses biases, improves patient communication, reevaluates care practices and policies, and overall reimagines the delivery of health care to patients with higher body weights.

1. Define and describe weight bias and its effects on health.
2. Identify the harms of a weight-loss centric approach.
3. Describe the principles of the “Health at Every Size” approach.
4. Promote health-enhancing strategies through a weight-neutral and health equity lens.

Attention MedStar Associates and Georgetown University Staff, Faculty, and Students: To obtain your Promo Code, please contact Desiree Allen at [email protected].

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by MedStar Health and Georgetown University School of Nursing. MedStar Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 

Credit Designation

This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 0.75 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

Physicians: MedStar Health designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Nurses: This activity is approved for 0.75 ANCC contact hour(s). Nurses should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physicians Assistants:

MedStar Health has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 0.75 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

References:

• Albury, C, Strain, WD, Brocq, SL, Logue, J. Lloyd, C, Tahrani, A. Language Matters working group. The importance of language in engagement between health-care professionals and people living with obesity: a joint consensus statement. The lancet. Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2020, 8(5), 447–455. https://doi-org/10.1016/S2213-8587(20)30102-9

• DeJoy SB, Bittner K, Mandel D. A qualitative study of the maternity care experiences of women with obesity: "More than just a number on the scale". J Midwifery Womens Health. 2016;61(2):217-23. doi:10.1111/jmwh.12375

• Dieterich R, Demirci J. Communication practices of healthcare professionals when caring for overweight/obese pregnant women: A scoping review. Patient Educ Couns. 2020;103(10):1902-1912. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2020.05.011

• Flegal, KM, Ioannidis, JP, & Doehner, W (2019). Flawed methods and inappropriate conclusions for health policy on overweight and obesity: The Global BMI Mortality Collaboration meta-analysis. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle, 10(1):9-13. doi:10.1002/jcsm.12378

• Incollingo Rodriguez AC, Smieszek SM, Nippert KE, Tomiyama AJ. Pregnant and postpartum women's experiences of weight stigma in healthcare. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2020;20(1):499. doi:10.1186/s12884-020-03202-5

• Matheson, E, King, D, & Everett, C. Healthy Lifestyle Habits and Mortality in Overweight and Obese Individuals. J Am Board Fam Med, 2012;25 (1) 9-15

• Nagpal TS, da Silva DF, Liu RH, et al. Women's suggestions for how to reduce weight stigma in prenatal clinical settings. Nurs Womens Health. 2021;25(2):112-121. doi:10.1016/j.nwh.2021.01.008

• Nutter, S., Russell-Mayhew, S., Alberga, A. S., Arthur, N., Kassan, A., Lund, D. E., . . . Williams, E. Positioning of weight bias: Moving towards social justice. Journal of Obesity, 2016; 3753650. doi:10.1155/2016/3753650

• Nutter S, Eggerichs LA, Nagpal TS, et al. Changing the global obesity narrative to recognize and reduce weight stigma: A position statement from the World Obesity Federation. Obes Rev. 2023:e13642. doi:10.1111/obr.13642

• Olson S, Munoz E, Solis E, Bradford, HM. Mitigating weight bias in the clinical setting: A new approach to care. J Midwifery Womens Health. Published online Dec 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13578

• Phelan SM, Dovidio JF, Puhl RM, et al. Implicit and explicit weight bias in a national sample of 4,732 medical students: The medical student CHANGES study. J Obes. 2014;22(4):1201-1208. doi:10.1002/oby.20687

• O’Hara, L & Taylor, J.(2018). What’s Wrong With the ‘War on Obesity?’ A Narrative Review of the Weight-Centered Health Paradigm and Development of the 3C Framework to Build Critical Competency for a Paradigm Shift. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018772888

• Puhl, RM, Himmelstein, MS, & Pearl, RL. Weight stigma as a psychosocial contributor to obesity. American Psychologist Journal, 2020, 75(2), 274-289. doi:10.1037/amp0000538

• Puhl RM. What words should we use to talk about weight? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies examining preferences for weight-related terminology. Obes Rev 2020;21(6):e13008. doi:10.1111/obr.13008

• Puhl, R, & Suh, Y. Health Consequences of Weight Stigma: Implications for Obesity Prevention and Treatment. Current Obesity Reports, 2015; 4(2), 182–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-015-0153-z

• Sabin JA, Marini M, Nosek BA. Implicit and explicit anti-fat bias among a large sample of medical doctors by BMI, race/ethnicity and gender. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e48448. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048448

• Schwartz, M, et al.. Weight bias among health professionals specializing in obesity. Obesity Research, 2003, 11, 1033–1039.

• Spatz DL. Preventing obesity starts with breastfeeding. The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing, 2014, 28(1), 41–50. https://doi-org.proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/10.1097/JPN.0000000000000009

• Strings, S. (2020, May 25). It's not obesity. it's slavery. Retrieved April 09, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/opinion/coronavirus-race-obesity.html

• Tomiyama AJ , Hunger JM, Nguyen-Cuu J and Wells C. Misclassification of cardiometabolic health when using body mass index categories in NHANES 2005–2012 International Journal of Obesity, 2016, 40, 883–886; doi:10.1038/ijo.2016.17

• Tylka, TL, Annunziato, RA, Burgard, D. The Weight-Inclusive versus Weight-Normative Approach to Health: Evaluating the Evidence for Prioritizing Well-Being over Weight Loss. 2014, Journal of Obesity.

• Zoller, C. (2020, July). Fatphobia and racism are inextricably linked. Retrieved April 05, 2021, from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ask-a-fat-girl-fatphobia-and-racism

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

The following Planning Committee Members have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose: Heather Bradford, PhD, CNM, FACNM; Melicia Escobar, DNP, CNM,WHNP-BC, FACNM, Cynthia Pineda, MD; Deanna Najera, PA

The following speakers have no relevant financial relationships to disclose:

Instructions

Please click the Register button to complete the registration form. Return to the CloudCME homepage and click Online Courses.

Click on the hyperlink to Weight Bias in Healthcare IEM.

Select the Content & Tests tab to begin the course.

Select Launch Video to view the educational content. Once the video is finished, please close the window and exit.

Click the Post-Test button and complete the Post-test. Once the Post-test is complete, review your results and click Complete Evaluation.

Once you have completed the evaluation, you will be able view, download and print your continuing education transcript by clicking My CE, then Transcript.

Please consider participating in a Georgetown University Human Research Study (IRB STUDY00008845) by completing a brief post-session survey here: https://georgetown.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cu0ToWyeWv17gvY. Participation in this research study is not required to claim CE credit for this activity. Please visit the link to learn more about the study Health Equity Series: Fostering Inclusive Health Practices Among Community Partners.

You may access your MedStar CE transcript anytime at medstar.cloud-cme.com.

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For additional questions regarding CE, please contact the Continuing Education Department at [email protected].