(Ivanhoe Newswire) – When obese people hear they need to exercise and eat
a healthier diet, it may be doing more harm than good.
Researchers from Australia say obese people feel “a culture of blame” against
them, which they say has grown worse with media reports about the health risks
of obesity. The results are based on one-hour personal interviews with 76 obese
people – 62 females, 14 males – ages 16 to 72.
“Obese people frequently feel overwhelmed and disheartened by the publicity
about their condition,” lead author, Paul Komesaroff, M.D., Ph.D., Monash
University in Melbourne, was quoted as saying. “They often feel disrespected and
not understood by medical practitioners. Our participants express the view very
forcefully that they feel victimized by current social attitudes about obesity.
To be told that, in addition to the problems that they recognize only too well,
they are now regarded as ‘sick’ is unlikely to assist them to find a solution.”
The report finds participants have a hard time acting on the advice about
loosing weight. Most of them said they tried weight loss remedies their
physicians recommended and were generally dissatisfied with the help from
doctors.
Komesaroff believes the reason health care providers’ efforts don’t work is
because they don’t understand the key social and psychological issues obese
people face.
Results show nearly half of the participants said they had poor mental and
emotional health – including depression – related to their weight. Almost all of
them said they had been humiliated and discriminated against either in childhood
or as adults. More than 25 percent said they regularly tried to lose weight
quickly by not eating for periods, essentially “starving” themselves.
Researchers say health care providers should do a more thorough assessment of
the individual needs of obese patients and pay closer attention to their social
and psychological issues.
SOURCE: The Endocrine Society’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, June 2-15,
2008
