Advertisement
AJPH
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Jan 14, 2010
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
AJPH.2009.159491v1
100/6/1019    most recent
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow purchase articles
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Right arrow Get other permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Puhl, R. M.
Right arrow Articles by Heuer, C. A.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Puhl, R. M.
Right arrow Articles by Heuer, C. A.
Related Collections
Right arrow Obesity, Overweight, Underweight
June 2010, Vol 100, No. 6 | American Journal of Public Health 1019-1028
© 2010 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.159491

FRAMING HEALTH MATTERS

Obesity Stigma: Important Considerations for Public Health

Rebecca M. Puhl, PhD and Chelsea A. Heuer, MPH

The authors are with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, New Haven, CT.

Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to Rebecca Puhl, PhD, Director of Research and Weight Stigma Initiatives, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University, 309 Edwards St, New Haven, CT 06520-8369 (e-mail: rebecca.puhl{at}yale.edu). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints/Eprints" link.

Stigma and discrimination toward obese persons are pervasive and pose numerous consequences for their psychological and physical health. Despite decades of science documenting weight stigma, its public health implications are widely ignored. Instead, obese persons are blamed for their weight, with common perceptions that weight stigmatization is justifiable and may motivate individuals to adopt healthier behaviors. We examine evidence to address these assumptions and discuss their public health implications. On the basis of current findings, we propose that weight stigma is not a beneficial public health tool for reducing obesity. Rather, stigmatization of obese individuals threatens health, generates health disparities, and interferes with effective obesity intervention efforts. These findings highlight weight stigma as both a social justice issue and a priority for public health.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2010 by the American Public Health Association