Embodied largeness: a significant women's health issue

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Healthcare studies
• Body image research

Background:

• Societal stigma associates thinness with health and virtue, and larger body sizes with negative moral attributes.
• Existing literature often perpetuates a reductionist view of health, failing to acknowledge the complexities of body size.
• Nursing care for large-bodied women may be hindered by a lack of holistic understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the lived experiences of large-bodied women regarding societal perceptions of weight.
• To critically examine the multidisciplinary literature on body size and its implications for healthcare.
• To identify strategies for improving nursing care for women with larger body sizes.

Main Methods:

• A three-year qualitative study involving in-depth dialogues with nine large-bodied women.
• An extensive review of multidisciplinary literature concerning body size and societal perceptions.
• Sharing the literature review with participants to foster critical understanding.

Main Results:

• Participants' experiences highlighted the negative impact of societal 'obesity' stigma.
• The literature review confirmed widespread bias linking thinness to morality and larger bodies to deficiency.
• Nurses' current approaches may be reductionist, contradicting holistic healthcare principles.

Conclusions:

• Nursing care for large-bodied women requires a shift towards a more holistic and less judgmental approach.
• Challenging societal biases about body size is crucial for effective healthcare.
• Further strategies are needed to support women concerned about their body size within the healthcare system.