Today is World Obesity Day. To mark this, alongside more than 100 major medical and scientific organisations, we are making a #pledge2endobesitystigma.
We are proud to announce that we have joined forces with major scientific organisations across the world in pledging our support for a consensus statement on obesity stigma.
This statement recognises unscientific public narratives of obesity as a major cause of weight stigma and calls for strong policies and legislation to prevent weight-based discrimination.
Read the full international consensus statement and related pledge.
Chris Askew, our Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We’re proud to put our name to this global consensus on obesity stigma. Obesity is such a complex condition, but the ways it is currently spoken of, and people living with it are portrayed, only scratch the surface of this complexity – and all too often perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
By blaming people who have obesity, we fuel stigma and isolate those who need our help the most.
To effect real change, we need to see a concerted effort from government and industry, where evidence-based interventions are prioritised to prevent and treat obesity. Then we can actually begin to help break down these societal barriers.”
