July 11, 2012 - [The language that health care providers use when discussing their patients' body weight][1] can reinforce stigma, reduce motivation for weight loss, and potentially lead to avoidance of future medical appointments, according to a study published by the Rudd Center in the _International Journal of Obesity_.
The study, which examined adults' perceptions of and reactions to common terms used to describe excess body weight by doctors, shows that patients prefer doctors use neutral language such as "unhealthy weight" rather than words that can be perceived as stigmatizing and blaming, such as "fat" or "morbidly obese."
[1]: http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/bias/PerceptionsHealthProvidersWeightLanguage_IJO_7.12.pdf
URL: http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/health-providers-should-choose-words-wisely-when-discussing-weight
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