Press Releases: National
December 12, 2007
Kaiser Permanente teams with Yale University to launch weight bias tool kit for health care providers
OAKLAND, Calif. – The stigma of obesity follows overweight people from their daily lives into the doctor’s office, according to recently published surveys. In response to these findings, Kaiser Permanente and the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University today announced the release of a free tool kit for providers, designed specifically to combat weight bias in health care.
The kit aims to improve the delivery of care in a variety of practice settings, such as pediatrics, gynecology, and surgery. The information includes simple strategies for improving provider-patient communication and ways to make positive changes in the medical office environment, such as:
- Providing extra-large examination gowns
- Weighing patients in a private area that allows for confidentiality
- Having a weight scale with adequate capacity (greater than 350 pounds)
- Using larger blood pressure cuffs
- Installing larger examination tables.
With more than 65 percent of adults in this country officially overweight, and nearly 33 percent obese, weight bias has direct consequences for health in the U.S. Many overweight patients admit that they do not seek medical attention because it is physically and emotionally uncomfortable. Delayed doctor visits reduce early treatment and preventive care, contributing to more serious conditions.
"The way we talk to our patients about their weight can make a big difference in their self-confidence," says Keith Bachman, MD, a Kaiser Permanente weight-management expert and co-author of the tool kit. "I have a much better chance of opening a productive dialogue and motivating behavior change by asking a patient how she feels about her weight, rather than telling her we need to talk about her obesity."
The weight bias tool kit addresses this issue with handouts, fact sheets, presentations, articles, and guided group discussions. The kit is available at http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/what/bias/toolkit/index.html.
"If health care systems made these changes, it would make a huge difference for patients," said Anne Morin, a retired Portland schoolteacher and writer who weighs more than 200 pounds and has frequently experienced negative attitudes and judgments about her weight in the grocery store, at school, on the street and, in the past, in her doctors' offices. "We need information, compassion, and support from doctors who are educated about weight bias."
Anne Morin is not alone. More than half of the women enrolled in a national weight-loss support group said they had experienced at least one weight-related stigmatizing interaction with a physician. Patients aren't the only ones aware of the problem: more than half of primary care physicians surveyed admitted to viewing obese patients as unattractive and noncompliant.
"As the majority of Americans are now overweight or obese, this is an important clinical concern, one that no provider can afford to ignore," says Rebecca Puhl, PhD, Director of Research and Anti-Stigma Initiatives at Yale University's Rudd Center. Puhl worked with clinicians at Kaiser Permanente to develop the tool kit.
Kaiser Permanente has long been a leader in issues of weight management, and specifically weight bias. Members of Kaiser Permanente's Weight Management Initiative have collaborated with national facility design staff to ensure that new facilities meet the needs of obese members by having access to appropriately sized exam room equipment and waiting room furniture. Also, most primary care clinicians at Kaiser Permanente have been trained using member centered communication techniques that facilitate positive behavior change in a non-stigmatizing manner. The new weight bias tool kit will be a key component in Kaiser Permanente's ongoing weight management communication training for clinicians.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
