Current status of weight bias and stigma in pediatrics and the need for greater focus on populations at risk.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose of review

Obesity is one of the most common pediatric chronic conditions in the United States, affecting approximately 20% of American youth and is more common amongst Black, Latino, and Indigenous and low socioeconomic populations. The condition places children and adolescents at increased risk of physical and mental health conditions partly mediated by the weight bias and stigmatization experienced during the potentially vulnerable periods of childhood and adolescence.

Recent findings

Weight bias and the resulting stigma are pervasive in society. Children have been shown to internalize this bias and its devaluation, which have been shown to contribute to worsening metabolic and mental health outcomes independently. Studies suggest weight stigmatization more adverse

SUBMITTER: Waldrop SW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10873084 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature