This is the Weight and Healthcare newsletter! If you like what you are reading, please consider subscribing and/or sharing! In discussing weight stigma and diet culture in medicine in general and, recently, the new AAP guidelines that recommend “intensive” weight loss attempts to toddlers, a common question I get is - How did we get here? How did doctors get so totally invested in this paradigm that they can’t see past it? I think that a huge part of this is how enmeshed the weight loss industry is in every aspect of the healthcare system, including (and perhaps especially) provider education.
“New AAP guidelines that recommend “intensive” weight loss attempts to toddlers.” This is the most terrifying sentence I have ever read. It makes me scared to take my son to the doctor for well visits. He is bigger because his parents are bigger. He’s also super tall for his age but no one wants to make him shorter. His doctor will joyfully ask how tall we are and say oh that why he is so tall, why can’t we just apply that to body size. You can clearly see we are fat and tall.
In my field of chemistry we get to go to these type of events where a vendor will teach a class about a general topic. We all know the vendors are trying to sell you or at least show you their newest thing. But the class is still relevant even if you don’t use the brand the vendor has because chemistry is chemistry. I just don’t get how the people in healthcare seem to not even listen to what science tells them.
“New AAP guidelines that recommend “intensive” weight loss attempts to toddlers.” This is the most terrifying sentence I have ever read. It makes me scared to take my son to the doctor for well visits. He is bigger because his parents are bigger. He’s also super tall for his age but no one wants to make him shorter. His doctor will joyfully ask how tall we are and say oh that why he is so tall, why can’t we just apply that to body size. You can clearly see we are fat and tall.
In my field of chemistry we get to go to these type of events where a vendor will teach a class about a general topic. We all know the vendors are trying to sell you or at least show you their newest thing. But the class is still relevant even if you don’t use the brand the vendor has because chemistry is chemistry. I just don’t get how the people in healthcare seem to not even listen to what science tells them.