Future Doctors Unaware of Their Obesity Bias

[FarCenter]

Two out of five medical students have an unconscious bias against obese people, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The study is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Academic Medicine.

“Bias can affect clinical care and the doctor-patient relationship, and even a patient’s willingness or desire to go see their physician, so it is crucial that we try to deal with any bias during medical school,” said David Miller, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist and lead author of the study.

“Previous research has shown that on average, physicians have a strong anti-fat bias similar to that of the general population. Doctors are more likely to assume that obese individuals won’t follow treatment plans, and they are less likely to respect obese patients than average weight patients,” Miller said.

http://www.wakehealth.edu/News-Releases/2013/Future_Doctors_Unaware_of_Their_Obesity_Bias.htm

I would think that surgeons would be a little aprehensive...

[Demeter]

1. It is a reflection of what they are taught by the culture

We live in a culture that wants women to look like pretty boys--flat, breastless, hipless clothes hangers, not living people. Since the ectomorph is only 5% of the population, does that mean death and despair for the 95%? Isn't that starting to sound a lot like the 1% Elitest Economically? Are we all supposed to undergo life-threatening surgery to become phony ectomorphs?

And the men? Well, they are all supposed to drop dead early, aren't they?

God forbid anyone should live long enough to deviate from the youthful athlete ideal.

A pox on all of it. If people cared less about their and everyone else's appearance, and more about their actions and mindset, we'd be the better nation we used to be.

For reference:

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/body-types-ectomorph-mesomorph-endomorph.html

http://caloriecount.about.com/article/body_types

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatotype_and_constitutional_psychology





And of course, extreme dieting can really fuck it all up: metabolism, body, muscle mass, fat storage, etc.

[Warpy]

2. Yes and no. While there is more surface area exposed in an obese person

unless that person is diabetic, there is no problem with healing.

What extreme obesity interferes with is activity after the operation.

In my own experience, the thin patients were more likely to believe they had been doing everything right, the proof was their weight, right? so they were less likely to follow treatment plans, especially those regarding smoking and diet. The fear of gaining weight was worse than the fear of dying from cigarettes.