Is obesity a disease?
The case of obesity has long been considered to be a matter of personal choices related to the way of eating and lifestyle. But in recent years, many cases have been considered differently by the health services. As a result, this has had many consequences for health policies and society in general.
Is obesity considered a real disease?
The 20th and 21st centuries have seen a significant growth in the number of obese people in the world, and more particularly in industrialized countries. For a long time, severe obesity was not considered a real affliction. However, things started to change in the early 2010s.
In 2013, researchers Theodore Kyle, Emily Dhurandhar and David Allison published a study. This recalled the definition of a disease, and the implications arising from the decision of the American Medical Association to consider obesity as a real problem (1) . In France, health insurance has established that cases of obesity are chronic diseases and constitute a social problem.
In the European Union in general, it is considered that “ the state of obesity of a worker can constitute a handicap ” . This decision follows a judgment by the European Court of Justice in December 2014. The Court of Justice tried to define whether a dismissal for obesity could be deemed discriminatory (2) . This court decision has set a precedent on European territory.
The political and social impact of obesity as a disease
Considering an obese person as suffering from a real disease has a significant impact on the way to treat it. Treating obesity as a real disorder has funded a lot of research. These have made it possible to discover the causes, and to find effective solutions .
In the collective imagination, obesity is exclusively linked to excessive eating behavior , but research has shown that it could have other causes .
In France, cases of morbid obesity are considered chronic diseases. Health insurance pays for various surgeries . Be careful, however, consultations with nutritionists or specialized doctors must be done as part of a coordinated care pathway. Indeed, you must consult a general practitioner who will then refer you to specialists.
The new definition of obesity has also highlighted discriminatory social behavior towards overweight or obese people. More and more awareness campaigns are in place to fight against this phenomenon, the magnitude of which is greater than previously thought.
A counterproductive definition?
Some studies do not see this new definition of obesity very favorably. In 2014, researchers published a study. This highlighted the psychological consequences that this definition could have on an obese person (3) .
The study participants were divided into three groups. The first had to read a neutral article, the second an article dealing with the decision to consider obesity as a disease and the third an article specifying that obesity was not an affliction. The researchers took everyone’s BMI . They had a questionnaire filled out on the elements that would push them to start a diet. They then offered a menu consisting of sandwiches indicating their calories.
The study showed that obese people who read the obesity-as-an-affliction article overwhelmingly chose higher-calorie sandwiches and were less willing to go on a diet. Obese people who had read the article on obesity not considered an affliction or a neutral article tended to feel more concerned about their weight. As a result, they chose less caloric sandwiches.
However, this study should be moderated, due to its restricted panel of 700 participants. In addition, the panel comes from an industrialized country only. Moreover, the study would also tend to stigmatize people suffering from chronic obesity. This then reinforces discriminatory behavior towards them.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.