About Us
We are a group of passionate medical students striving to create a healthcare system that prioritizes equitable, inclusive care regardless of body size, weight, and appearance.
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For far too long, preconceived notions about patient size and weight have accompanied them into the exam room. These affect patient mental health and physical health, quality of care provided, as well as their relationships with their physicians and the medical establishment at large.
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We adopt a size-inclusive, weight-neutral evidence-based paradigm to provide the utmost quality of care for, and maximize our relationships with, our future patients.
Weight centrism affects every aspect of health
Physical Health
Weight stigma and bias in healthcare not only leads to poorer mental health outcomes for patients, but physical health outcomes as well. For instance, weight stigma rather than the weight itself, has been correlated with poorer outcomes regarding cardiometabolic health, conditions like diabetes, and sexual health.
Mental Health
Weight centric practices, weight stigma, and discrimination have long been shown to have negative impacts on mental health. They specifically contribute to increased anxiety, depression, body image issues, and eating-related psychopathologies as well as reduced self-esteem and perceived support.
Relationships
The relationship between provider and patient is quite a vulnerable one. Health infiltrates every aspect of one's life, and thus, your provider will know the most intimate details of your life. That is, if patients trust their providers. Weight centrism impacts this relationship significantly. Patients are then less likely to come see their provider for critical symptoms and open up about health issues they face.
Care Received
Countless studies have shown that due to weight-centric ideology and stigma, providers are less likely to provide the same quality of care than they normally would. This includes being less likely to provide screenings and preventative health measures. Furthermore, symptoms and diagnoses may be overlooked or falsely attributed to weight.
Eating Disorders
Though EDs fall under the mental (and arguably physical) health category, they deserve their own mention here. Weight stigma and discrimination, fueled by the ways in which weight centrism has infiltrated society, elevate the risk for and exacerbate current eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors.
Providers
Previous topics largely address patients' health and wellbeing, but there is evidence to suggest that weight centrism negatively affects medical students and providers as well, especially those categorized as overweight and obese according to the BMI scale. This is worth mentioning and exploring as well.
Contact Us
For any questions you have, please fill out the form below:
Association for Size-Inclusive Healthcare
New York Medical College
40 Sunshine Cottage Rd,
Valhalla, NY 10595