Surviving the Prejudice of Obesity Pamela S. Smith, MSN, MBA, RN

摘要

When individuals hear the word prejudice, they may think of the prejudice associated with skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion. One area often overlooked is the prejudice associated with obesity. Though not often overt, this prejudice is very real and is documented in the literature.King, Shapiro, Hebl, Singletary, and Turner (2006) reported the results of three studies that confirm obese shoppers faced more interpersonal discrimination than average-weight shoppers. Data from the Midlife Development in the United States study, a survey of more than 3,000 adults ages 25 to 74, revealed that compared with normal-weight persons, obese persons with a body mass index of 35 or higher are more likely to report institutional and day-to-day discrimination and interpersonal mistreatment fCarr & Friedman, 2005). An analysis of interviews of 13 obese individuals and 5 of their family members revealed frequent experiences of stigmatization and discrimination on the basis of their obesity (Rogge, Greenwald, &C Golden, 2004). This pattern of denigration and condemnation is pervasive and has been called "civilized oppression" (Rogge et al., 2004).