PHO Rounds: Towards a Weight-Inclusive Approach in Public Health

Weight bias and the resulting stigma and discrimination is a significant public health problem and social justice issue that leads to health inequities. This Public Health Ontario (PHO) Rounds presents Ontario Dietitians in Public Health’s (ODPH) 2024 position statement on an weight-inclusive approach that uses an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed lens. The position statement focuses on equity, positionality, and the intersections of weight bias, stigma and discrimination with racism, colonialism, classism, and sexism. The statement reflects ODPH’s guiding principles of evidence-informed practice, comprehensive health promotion, and health equity. We will present the origins of these recommendations and why a coordinated, interprofessional, weight-inclusive approach is necessary to reduce harm and improve population level health outcomes. Specific recommendations are made for public health regarding communications, supportive environments and policy, education, training/capacity and resources.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
• Describe why an intersectional approach to addressing weight bias is an important health equity and social justice issue of public health importance
• Identify opportunities for addressing weight bias within their public health unit or organization
• Identify actions they can take to address weight bias within their workplace in ways that align with equity, diversity and inclusion priorities
Presenter(s): Amy MacDonald and Jessica Love
The presentation can be found here: www.publicheal...