Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
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position statement on language
Obesity Institute
Language is a powerful communication tool that can be both helpful and harmful. The language we use to describe obesity can therefore have a profound impact on people’s lives.Â
We are committed to working towards a world where every body can be welcomed, empowered, safe, and cared for. Everyone deserves respectful, dignified and compassionate language. However, many people living with obesity experience weight related discrimination, bias and stigma. This can significantly impact physical and mental health, which can reduce quality of life and lead to healthcare avoidance.
At the Obesity Institute we are striving to eliminate weight stigma and bias. We therefore support the Obesity UK, European Coalition of Obesity (ECPO), Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), and World Obesity Federation (WOF) campaign for the use of person-first language in all reporting of obesity. The intention of person-first language is to put the person at the forefront - avoiding the use of labels or words that define a person by their disease:
A person lives with obesity – they are not an obese person
However, we also acknowledge that language is dynamic, and there is consequently universally preferred terminology to refer to body weight. Different people, communities and cultures will hold their own beliefs and preferences for weight-related terms, and it is important that all language preferences are welcomed and respected. Understanding and respecting these individual preferences is critical in providing a person-centred approach.
Useful Resources:
- Obesity UK: Language matters: Obesity
- Obesity UK: The responsible reporting of obesity: media guidelines
- ECPO: People first campaign
- OAC: People-first language
- World Obesity Healthy Voices: Language guidelines
- World Obesity Federation: Changing the global obesity narrative to recognize and
reduce weight stigma: A position statement
- Obesity stigma in healthcare: Impacts on policy, practice, and patients: What's in a
Word? On Weight Stigma and Terminology
