142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

300071
Body size measurements in public health: A social justice & weight stigma perspective

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 : 12:30 PM - 12:50 PM

Natalie Ingraham, MPH , Social and Behavior Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California- San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Sonya Satinsky, PhD, MPH , Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
INTRODUCTION: The measurement and quantification of bodies and body size is a key component of many public health surveillance efforts related to obesity, disease prevention, and other size-related morbidities such as eating disorders or body image concerns. However, current body size measures such as Body Mass Index (BMI) or body silhouette measures used in Silhouette Matching Tests (SMT) have been widely critiqued as both stigmatizing of larger bodies as well as inaccurate. APPROACH: The main goals of this presentation are to further conversation about social-justice-oriented means of documenting body diversity, to critically discuss how these measures are used, and potential next steps for body size measurement. Body size measurement within public health will also be placed in context of recent research on the relationship between weight stigma, including healthcare-based weight stigma, and negative health outcomes. RESULTS: Utilization of digital technologies such as avatar development or digital portraiture may be a means of improving body size measurement in multiple public health contexts. Digital avatars could be both useful and enjoyable for participants, as well as a means of visual representation that includes different shapes and sizes, ethnicities and gender presentations. DISCUSSION: New flexible digital measures can both inform public health practice without being tied to stigmatizing claims, as well as offer a means of measuring and documenting the myriad ways healthy and unhealthy humans vary by size and shape.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the critiques of common body size measurements such as BMI or silhouette matching tests (SMT) in public health practice. Explain how current body size measurement may support weight stigma in public health contexts. Evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of emerging technologies in providing accurate, non-stigmatizing body measurements for use in public health research.

Keyword(s): Obesity, Data Collection and Surveillance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved in research on weight stigma and public health for over 3 years. This topic is also the key topic area for my current dissertation project on body size, health and gender.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.