VIDEO: ‘Dispel the myth of personal responsibility’ to combat obesity stigma
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In the latest installment of Healio’s diversity, equity and inclusion video series with the ASGE, Catherine T. Hudson, MD, addressed how to combat emerging stigma around new anti-obesity medications such as glucagon-like peptide agonists.
“Treatment for obesity has traditionally been invasive and costly but they have not been very effective,” Hudson, assistant professor of clinical medicine and gastroenterology at Louisiana State University and medical director for the Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery Clinic at University Medical Center New Orleans Hospital, said. “Now with this new class of anti-obesity medications called incretin mimetics, which include medications such as GLP-1s, we now have very effective medical options for treatment.”
She continued: “In fact, one study showed over 26% total body weight loss with long term use of tirzepatide (Zepbound, Eli Lilly) in conjunction with lifestyle modification. This is a huge breakthrough in the field but there’s been a lot of unexpected negative backlash.”
Compounded with the long-standing stigma patients with obesity have traditionally faced, newly emerging stigma has been driven by the supply demand mismatch of anti-obesity medications where diseases such as diabetes and obesity have been pitted against each other to decide which is more “worthy” of treatment, Hudson said. Additional sources of stigma include lack of coverage, access and judgement toward those who have experienced success in their weight loss with this new class of drugs.
Hudson noted this added layer of stigma has led many patients to seek out alternative treatment such as compounding pharmaceuticals which the Obesity Medicine Association, The Obesity Society and the Obesity Action Coalition warn against.
“It’s very important that as health care providers we continue to dispel the myth of personal responsibility in our everyday practices,” Hudson concluded. “The combination of our genetics plus our obesogenic environment has led to obesity. It is not a personal responsibility problem and seeking care or treatment for the disease of obesity is not about vanity: it is about treating disease that can lead to other consequences.”
For more information about how to combat obesity stigma and access educational materials, check out obesityaction.org.
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