Health at Every Size®, A Series Part 2: 5 Reasons to Work With a HAES Provider
Scientific studies and anecdotal evidence come to the same conclusion: larger-bodied individuals are less likely to access healthcare, and are less likely to receive evidence-based, bias-free healthcare when they do receive it. Working with a HAES provider, however, can help counteract these harmful effects of weight discrimination.
Have a better experience at the doctor’s office. You should feel comfortable and confident at the doctor’s office - not anxious and worried. From the moment you walk through the door of a doctor’s office, you should feel accommodated. A HAES-aligned provider will take care to provide armless chairs in the waiting room, appropriately-sized gowns to change into, and blood pressure cuffs for use during your examination.
Address your real concerns, feel heard, and improve communication. A HAES-aligned provider will listen to your concerns rather than automatically shift the conversation towards weight; dismissing your symptoms. For larger-sized folks, this is rare but can be extremely affirming. Feeling heard can also have real effects on your physical health: by moving the focus away from weight as the cause of symptoms, HAES-aligned practitioners can better focus on the actual health issue or concern that is the reason for the visit in the first place - and get closer to finding a solution that works for YOU.
Receive better diagnoses, prescriptions and suggestions. Did you know that primary care guidelines recommend those with a BMI over 30 be provided weight-loss intervention first, regardless of the health issue the patient is seeking help for? In turn, this can lead to a delayed diagnosis (and thus a potentially worse prognosis) or a missed diagnosis altogether. Unfortunately, there have been several instances of patients being told to lose weight (which we know doesn’t work) when presenting with serious symptoms, only to suffer from heart attacks or blood clots a few days later. With a HAES provider, however, you’re more likely to get real, actionable suggestions that don’t involve weight loss.
Remove damaging weight stigma from the process. Plenty of folks don’t look forward to going to the doctor, but for those in larger bodies, the process can be stigmatizing and dehumanizing. In fact, more than two-thirds of women classified as overweight or obese have reported experiencing weight bias by a physician. This stigma has real effects: a review of over 30 studies found that weight stigma negatively impacted both physical and physiological health: weight stigma was associated with increased diabetes risk, cortisol levels, depression and anxiety. A weight stigma-informed HAES provider will be trained on how they can avoid bringing their own preconceived notions and privilege into the conversation.
Look forward to doctor’s appointments! Better doctor-patient relationships, better diagnoses and recommendations, less weight stigma, and an overall improved experience at the doctor’s office all mean you don’t have to fear the doctor. In turn, you’re more likely to seek help for health problems and get regular health screenings and check-ups - a positive feedback loop of improving health. Which is all to say that there’s real, positive effects of finding a HAES provider, for not only your physical but also your mental and emotional health.
At Tory Stroker Nutrition, we approach nutrition holistically from an anti-diet, weight-inclusive, HAES-aligned framework. We are passionate about thinking about food, movement and body image from a self-care perspective, and want to empower you in your own relationship with your body and mind.
To read more about the HAES philosophy, click here.
Citations
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
https://academic-oup-com.proxy.library.nyu.edu/ije/article/35/1/55/849914
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3352786/pdf/0580517.pdf/?tool=EBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4132299/
https://greatist.com/health/finding-a-haes-medical-professional#questions-to-ask-your-doctor
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17062811/
https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy.library.nyu.edu/doi/full/10.1111/jan.13511