A report in the United Kingdom (UK) said that obesity is not a choice and that shaming people with obesity will only make them feel worse about themselves.
The British Psychological Society report claimed that the increase in obesity levels in the UK cannot be entirely attributed to a sudden loss of will power and that it is more complicated than that. Between 2005 and 2017, obesity levels in England increased by 18% and similar increases were seen in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The report stated "The people who are most likely to be an unhealthy weight are those who have a high genetic risk of developing obesity and whose lives are also shaped by work, school and social environments that promote overeating and inactivity. People who live in deprived areas often experience high levels of stress, including major life challenges and trauma, often their neighborhoods offer few opportunities and incentives for physical activity and options for accessing affordable healthy food are limited."
It also indicated the role of psychological experiences in obesity, saying that up to 50% of adults attending specialist obesity services claimed to have experienced difficulties in childhood.
The British Psychological Society calls for the need by health professionals to be trained in communicating weight loss in a more supportive way. This follows criticism received by a cancer charity for using "fat shaming" in its recent ad campaign.
Angel Chater, report author and reader in health psychology and behaviour design at the University of Bedfordshire, argued "If the treatment for obesity was easy, we wouldn't be here and wouldn't have written this report. You might have the best willpower in the world, but if you don't have access to the right food, the right environment, the best start in life... it will be tough."
The report also encouraged the government to address the problem of obesity with a similar approach with smoking.
