Centering the patient: How patient lived experience can and should shape obesity thinking

Abstract

Obesity is a complex disease that affects millions of people across the world, however a clear disconnect emerges between patient and physician beliefs about obesity when comparing the literature with the lived experience of those affected. The voices of people living with obesity are often unheard despite these being crucial to understanding the complexity and management of obesity. Recent updates in diagnosis and management recommendations of obesity are a step towards change, nonetheless the clinical application of these recommendations across healthcare remains to be determined and notably continues to disregard patient lived experiences. Considering recent publications, clinical experience, and testimonials from people with obesity, here we discuss the stigma faced at the individual, public, and institutional levels for people with obesity, how perspectives of the disease differ between patient and physicians across all levels of stigma in recent literature and identify where further knowledge and clinical application is needed to drive change for the treatment of this ever-evolving disease. The future of obesity management needs to prioritize a holistic, patient-centered approach and the first step to achieve this is to understand the disease through the lens of those living with obesity.