Obesity Action Coalition Blog

A recent USA TODAY article discussed weight discrimination and its ever-increasing presence in today’s society, especially toward women. Weight discrimination and obesity stigma are nothing new to society; however, as the article states, the presence of it has increased in recent years.

The OAC offers a variety of resources on this topic, such as its “Understanding Obesity Stigma” brochure and various articles published in its quarterly magazine, titled “OAC News.”At times, instances of weight discrimination and obesity stigma are often unrecognized. When people think of weight discrimination they often think of it in its simplest form, such as someone making a comment in public; however, instances of discrimination can often be found in schools, healthcare settings and the workplace. We would like to know of you’ve ever been discriminated against, and if so, what happened?

• Have you experienced discrimination?
• Did you report it to the proper department/individual?
• What was the result?

Click here to view the USA TODAY article.
Click here to view the OAC’s Obesity Stigma materials.

The OAC needs your voice now! The OAC strongly encourages YOU and all those affected by obesity (patients, family members and healthcare professionals) to “Raise Your Voice” by accessing a special online OAC Legislative Alert.

By accessing the link below, you will be able to easily email both your elected representative and U.S. Senators a message urging them and their staff to attend important upcoming obesity awareness events on Capitol Hill. Below, you will find the most current obesity-related advocacy issues for you to act on starting today!

Click here to become an OAC “E-Advocate” Today!

The Louisiana Legislature declared May 12, 2008 as obesity awareness day. To see the OAC’s comments applauding their efforts, please click here.In addition to the resolution, many legislators participated in obesity awareness day activities by attending a legislative briefing on the epidemic and visiting numerous educational booths by obesity-related organizations in the Capitol Rotunda.

The OAC would like to offer special thanks to Senator Broome for introducing the legislation and for the “Black and Women’s Caucuses” for hosting the legislative briefing. If you are a Louisiana resident, we urge you to encourage your state legislators to continue efforts and put forward legislation improving access to both prevention and treatment.

Legislation requiring New Hampshire based insurers to cover weight-loss surgery passed both the House and Senate and is now waiting final approval from New Hampshire Governor John Lynch. The OAC urges all New Hampshire residents to contact Governor Lynch and ask his support of SB 312 (more details on the bill can be found in previous blog entries). To see a recent media story on the issue, please click here.

To contact Governor Lynch, please click here.

The OAC often points out to legislators, government officials and employers that the economic costs of obesity are substantial and that one of the reasons for addressing the obesity epidemic through both prevention and treatment is the lowering of such costs. A recent MSN article did a good job at looking at these costs including many areas outside of healthcare. Click here to see the article. 

Feel free to share with us if you think the author of the MSN article missed any areas that would be impacted, and how your obesity (or the treatment of it) affected your personal costs.