Obesity Stigma: Causes, Consequences, and Potential Solutions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to examine (i) the aetiology of obesity; (ii) how and why a perception of personal responsibility for obesity so dominantly frames this condition and how this mindset leads to stigma; (iii) the consequences of obesity stigma for people living with obesity, and for the public support for interventions to prevent and manage this condition; and (iv) potential strategies to diminish our focus on personal responsibility for the development of obesity, to enable a reduction of obesity stigma, and to move towards effective interventions to prevent and manage obesity within the population. RECENT FINDINGS: We summarise literature which shows that obesity stems from a complex…

• NI
  National Institute for Health and Care Research