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Weight Bias and Mental Health Concerns for Kids & Teens in a Pandemic with Louise Adams

Mar 1, 2021

This week we are sharing a conversation that Anna M. & Elizabeth had with Sydney-based clinical psychologist Louise Adams. Louise is the founder of Treat Yourself Well Sydney, and the creator of UNTRAPPED, an online program to help people find food and body peace, and escape from the endless diet cycle. She is also Vice President of Health At Every Size®️ Australia, has written two books, and hosts a terrific podcast called All Fired Up (a must-listen!).

We discuss:

  • Why treating patients using a weight-inclusive / HAES®️ framework not only produces more positive and sustainable health outcomes, but why it is the most ethical way to treat people.
  • The prevalence of weight bias in the medical community and how that affects the way people receive treatment and why people often think dieting or invasive surgical procedures are their “only” option to improve their health.
  • How weight bias was quick to rear its ugly head right at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in the form of  “concerns” over the correlation between weight/BMI and health risks associated with the virus.
  • The harm in throwing around terms like the “covid 15” in reference to weight gain, particularly for kids and teens who are already super stressed.
  • How the pandemic is affecting the mental health of kids & teens, a significant portion of whom are struggling with depression & anxiety.
  • Some things parents can do to help their kids & teens get through this difficult time.

[CW: we had to mention the “O word” a few times — we are well aware of the stigmatizing nature of this word and try not to use it — but sometimes when referencing research or the rhetoric of weight-biased researchers, it’s unavoidable.]

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