November 2024 DEI Results
CHSP's November 2024 DEI Spotlight: Body Positivity
Body positivity is "a social movement that advocates for the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender or physical abilities" (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).
A positive body image, has six core components (Markula, 2022):
- Appreciating the function, health, and unique features of the body.
- Accepting aspects of the body that differ from idealized media images.
- Perceiving beauty broadly based on a variety of appearances and internal characteristics.
- Tending to the body’s needs (e.g., exercise, sleep, hydration).
- Feeling beautiful on the inside (kindness, mindfulness), which may radiate to external appearance and behavior.
- Rejecting negative body-related information.
Some say that body positivity can lead to better health by helping people practice self-compassion and live in their bodies without putting off activities or comparing themselves to a scale. However, others say that the movement has some drawbacks, including: It can perpetuate a focus on appearance It may not be inclusive enough It can support unhealthy lifestyle habits The consumption of material goods associated with body positivity can be inequitable based on race, class, gender, and ability.
Weight bias has been found to negatively impact patients' engagement in primary health care and can result in avoidance or delay of health care services (Alberga et al., 2019).
It has been found that the weight of a patient significantly affects how they are treated by their physician. The physicians indicated they would spend less time with heavier patients and viewed them more negatively. (Hebl and Xu, 2001).
References
Alberga, A. S., Nutter, S., MacInnis, C., Ellard, J. H., & Russell-Mayhew, S. (2019). Examining weight bias among practicing Canadian family physicians. Obesity Facts, 12(6), 632–638. https://doi.org/10.1159/000503751
Cleveland Clinic. (2024, September 13). What’s the Difference Between Body Positivity and Body Neutrality? https://health.clevelandclinic.org/body-positivity-vs-body-neutrality
Markula, P. (2022, November 27). Exploring the body positivity movement. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fit-femininity/202211/exploring-the-body-positivity-movement
[PDF] weighing the care: Physicians’ reactions to the size of a patient | semantic scholar. (n.d.). https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Weighing-the-care:-physicians’-reactions-to-the-of-Hebl-Xu/1410dda39fe82091c7d27bf091b6cabaf18bfb23
Results:
Are you a:
- Results were:
- Student 71%
- Staff/Faculty Member 29%
What campus do you attend?
- Results were:
- Athens 82%
- Chillicothe 7%
- Eastern 4%
- Lancaster 4%
- Zanesville 4%
Do you feel your current curriculum is teaching you about diverse body types and sizes?
| Yes | 31% |
| Maybe | 23% |
| No | 46% |
Have you been treated differently due to your body shape or size?
| Yes | 50% |
| Maybe | 21% |
| No | 29% |
Do you struggle with body positivity?
| Yes | 50% |
| Maybe | 36% |
| No | 14% |
What does "body positivity" mean to you as a future healthcare professional?
- To be happy with who you are
- accepting and appreciating the body and it's functions throughout the lifespan as it changes and adapts to each individuals needs and health status
- Having self-love/worth/respect Regardless of what I look like and/or feel about my body.
- Body positivity means everyone is able to love their body and themselves. It means that everyone is kind to everyone regardless of their body type and shape. It means confidence and kindness.
- Body positivity means to teach individuals to take care of themselves and work on healthy lifestyles and habits.
What is an example of weight bias in a healthcare setting?
- showing pictures of anatomy or live models that demonstrate one body type that is the traditional stereotype
- People assume that someone who is overweight or obese is unhealthy, when some of that weight may be muscle.
- BMI scales
- There are plenty of examples of weight bias in healthcare systems. For example, two people of the same sex come in with symptoms of PCOS. The person with a higher BMI is likely to struggle before any testing is done. Someone of a “healthy” BMI is likely to be investigated earlier and listened to by their provider.
- If you're overweight, you are automatically thought to have Diabetes and high blood pressure. When they find you have low blood pressure, they take it about three times and then check their machine to make sure its working. That just one simple example. There are many more.
- I have not experienced so much weight bias, but I do notice that there is an assumption that if you are overweight, you are unhealthy. I know several people who are big bodied and are very healthy. They eat healthy, nourishing foods, go on walks and go to the gym. I know people who are skinny, and their health goes unnoticed that are unhealthy.
What steps can you take to ensure your healthcare practice is inclusive of diverse body types and sizes?
- explain body functions using different body types including age, ethnicity, shape, etc. explain and model the importance of practicing clinical skills on various body types (e.g. show modifications, adaptations, considerations for how to approach the patient in a positive and professional manner)
- Only bring weight up if it concerns health risk
- Appropriate education for everyone.
- Make sure everyone knows that all body's are perfect the way they are. Do not let harmful stereotypes into the workplace and educate employees on kindness and treating people equally. Make sure to clear the false facts out there about overweight/underweight people.
- Steps that can be taken are general education. Understanding obesity is a factor but not writing every symptom off without thoroughly investigating and becoming sure.
- STOP having every person weigh in the minute they walk through the door of a doctor's office.
- I will be working in mental health, so I think the key is listening to people's experiences and affirming the diversity of perspectives and experiences. I will also have to work with some of my own internalized body shame in order to better support others by accepting their body and nourishing it in healthy ways.
- Keep an open mind, be creative, and find ways to adapt exercises to every body type to ensure health equity, and remove all bias that you may have about people who are under, normal, or overweight as it all depends on their body structure and composition while understanding every person is different anatomically.
- Eliminating the bias and creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable
- We focus a lot on mental health, and self-acceptance is a big part of that. We strive to create a safe and positive space for all clients to feel accepted.