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Health Promotion International Advance Access published online on January 8, 2009
Health Promotion International, doi:10.1093/heapro/dan041
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© The Author (2009). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Article

Obesity, stigma and public health planning

Lynne MacLean1,*, Nancy Edwards2, Michael Garrard5, Nicki Sims-Jones5, Kathryn Clinton3 and Lisa Ashley4

1Community Health Research Unit, 2Nursing, Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Community Health Research Unit, 3 Institute of Population Health, Community Health Research Unit 4Community Health Research Unit, School of Nursing, Nursing Best Practice Research Unit, Canadian Nurses Association, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada 5Maternal Child Health Program, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada, Canada

* Corresponding author. E-mail: lynne.maclean{at}uottawa.ca


  Abstract

Given the rise in obesity rates in North America, concerns about obesity-related costs to the health care system are being stressed in both the popular media and the scientific literature. With such constant calls to action, care must be taken not to increase stigmatization of obese people, particularly of children. While there is much written about stigma and how it is exacerbated, there are few guidelines for public health managers and practitioners who are attempting to design and implement obesity prevention programs that minimize stigma. We examine stigmatization of obese people and the consequences of this social process, and discuss how stigma is manifest in health service provision. We give suggestions for designing non-stigmatizing obesity prevention public health programs. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

Key words: obesity; stigma; public health planning


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