Weight stigma and barriers to effective obesity care.
Implicit biases and stigma can impede the delivery of safe, high-quality healthcare. This article outlines the ways in which stigma create barriers to effective care for patients with obesity (use of stigmatizing language, provider-held negative weight-based attitudes, lack of patient-centered communication, patient avoidance, and/or delay of care). The authors propose several strategies to reduce weight stigma in health care, including stigma-reduction education and training interventions.