Rudd Sound Bites

Wise Up on Weight in Vogue

by Chelsea Heuer

Jeffrey Steingarten is my new favorite person. I just read You Are Not What You Eat, an article he wrote for April’s Vogue. Mr. Steingarten is among a handful of journalists and writers who are attempting to deflate the weight loss myths that are rife in today’s culture. An excerpt:

“The flood of diet articles has several harmful effects. Pretending that losing weight is easy and really fun stigmatizes the overweight for choosing not to lose weight, for remaining weak and self-indulgent. It encourages people to feel that their own bodies are in pretty awful shape. Both the industry and its supporters in the press are playing on the desperation of people who hate how they look in the mirror. Pandering to their unrealistic hopes. Making weight loss into one of the central goals of life.”

Private Weigh-ins A Must for Female Patients

by Chelsea Heuer

A new study finds that women experience substantial discomfort at the notion of being weighed in the presence of others.

These findings have important implications for health care. Existing research shows that overweight and obese women are more likely to delay preventive health services and cancer screenings than non-overweight women. Embarrassment about being weighed is one of the reasons that these women cite for postponing doctor visits.

Fit vs. Fat at Work

by Chelsea Heuer

Is it ok for some job descriptions to include weight standards? A NY Post article recently criticized the lack of weight and fitness restrictions on New York’s Finest. According to the article, efforts to institute weigh-ins and fitness testing for police officers have been thwarted by anti-discriminatory laws, such as the ADA.

I find this commentary surprising, considering that there are currently no federal laws to prohibit discrimination based on weight. Whether obesity qualifies as a disability under the ADA has caused much debate. Overweight people who are not “morbidly obese” but who experience weight discrimination cannot file claims under the ADA because they are not considered disabled.

Keep St. Nick Thick

by Chelsea Heuer

Would children really be better off if Santa dropped a few pounds? According to some recent news reports, some believe that Santa is setting a bad example for children and it’s time his “fat and jolly” image was given a “slim and trim” makeover.

Bah Humbug.

Weight-Related Bullying in Kids

by Chelsea Heuer

In 1994 the National Education Association stated:

“For fat students, the school experience is one of ongoing prejudice, unnoticed discrimination, and almost constant harassment.”

Bullying in schools is a serious problem - kids who are “different” are picked on, put down, teased, humiliated, ignored, even terrorized and physically injured.

I recently attended the Stand Up to Bullying Forum in Hartford, CT hosted by the Connecticut Commission on Children. The most memorable part of the event was hearing several young adults telling their heart-breaking accounts of the terror they faced when they were adolescents – being tormented because of their ethnicity, physical disability, sexual orientation, size or religion.

The proof is in the property values

by Chelsea Heuer

Where you live has a lot to do with how healthy are. A new study shows that property values are among the strongest predictors of obesity – the lower the property values where you live, the more likely you are to be obese. In the current study, which took place in the Seattle area, obesity rates reached 30% in the poorest regions, but were only 5% in the most affluent zip codes.

Sorry, you’re too heavy – that will be $30

by Chelsea Heuer

Charging employees a fee for being overweight constitutes overt discrimination.

Throughout history, institutionalized discrimination has never failed to exacerbate disease in groups that are considered “immoral.” In the early AIDS epidemic, moral opposition to those who were most vulnerable to HIV – gay men and injection drug users – discouraged political action, denied services and support to those who were suffering, and still affects people’s choices about testing and seeking treatment, fueling the spread of the epidemic.

The Evolutionary Path to Weight Bias

by Chelsea Heuer

Do people have an innate aversion to obesity?

A new study may help to explain the widespread and harsh nature of weight-based prejudice. The study suggests that weight stigma may be explained by an evolutionary mechanism that causes people to detect and avoid disease-causing pathogens. Our early ancestors depended on such instincts for survival. Much like we have an natural repugnance for spoiled food to avoid food poisoning, this study reveals that humans may have negative attitudes towards obese persons as part of a “behavioral immune” response.

"More Harm Than Good"

by Chelsea Heuer

Monday on Minnesota Public Radio, Kelly Brownell discussed the recent Harvard study along with the study’s co-author James Fowler. While Dr. Brownell commends the authors for their well-designed research, he reveals the potential harm in their interpretations of their findings. Dr. Fowler, on the other hand, seems completely unaware of the possible repercussions their highly controversial study may have on obese individuals. Click here to listen to this interesting conversation.

Looks Like Thunder Thighs

by Chelsea Heuer

Are the U.S. government’s obesity prevention PSAs offensive? Or just lighthearted and funny?

I recently became aware of the “Small Step” obesity prevention campaign, which features adipose body parts to encourage Americans to be less sedentary. For example:

-  “Whadya got there, Dave?”
-  “Looks like someone’s thunder thighs.” (Holds up large brown thigh-like object).
-  “They must have lost them playing in the snow with their kids.”

Obesity Encouraged In African American Women?

by Chelsea Heuer

In a recent article on Salon.com called “Healthy, my ass,” Debra Dickerson argues against the “normalization of a very un-p.c. fatness” and discusses the dangers of a culture that rewards Black women for being big. According to Dickerson, “it’s fairly common knowledge that many Black (and Hispanic) men prefer their women larger than do other groups… It is perhaps less well known that the preference has contributed to extremely high levels of obesity among Black women.” She goes on to warn Black women against “sacrificing your health to blimp yourself…”

Hazards: Obese Employees are More Likely to be Stigmatized

by Chelsea Heuer

After reading the New York Times article, €œHazards: Obese Employees More Likely to Be Injured on the Job,€ I have to ask: What is the purpose of this article?

According to the author, based on a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, there may be yet another reason for employers to encourage workers to keep their weight down: workplace safety. Is the author hoping to shed light on this issue so companies will begin providing better safety equipment to overweight workers? Or so more employers will sponsor worksite wellness programs? Or so maybe overweight workers will learn to be more careful?