Questioning the Ethics of Promoting Weight Loss in Clinical Practice

  • Andria Bianchi Bioethics Program, University Health Network; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
  • Maria Ricupero Nutrition & Dietetics, Private Practice, Toronto, Canada
Keywords: social determinants, weight cycling, weight bias, weight stigma, weight inclusive
Language(s): English

Abstract

This case study considers the ethical defensibility of recommending weight loss as a treatment for patients with higher body mass indexes. Recommending weight loss may be motivated by clinicians’ biases toward people living in larger bodies, misperceptions about weight and its relevancy to overall health, and a failure to consider other ethical factors such as those related to equity and the social determinants of health.

Published
2020-07-20
How to Cite
[1]
Bianchi A, Ricupero M. Questioning the Ethics of Promoting Weight Loss in Clinical Practice. Can. J. Bioeth. 2020;3:95-8. https://doi.org/10.7202/1070228ar.
Section
Case studies