2023-04-17 16:05:41
This preconceived idea worries and confirms that certain prejudices are still well anchored in the collective imagination.
At a time when nearly one in two French people is overweight or obese, what about the general public’s perception of the people concerned? The voices may be multiplying to denounce the excesses of the cult of thinness, a recent study carried out by French researchers from the Sorbonne-Paris Nord University shows that the French population still harbors strong prejudices around obesity or overweight. .
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The study in question, published in theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine, was conducted with a cohort of nearly 34,000 French adults from the NutriNet-Santé cohort, 35% of whom were overweight or obese. Of the participants, 55% admitted to worrying excessively about weight, while 45% considered obesity to be due to “a lack of willpower”. A belief that was correlated with socio-demographic factors such as having a normal weight, low level of education or high income. “ Rather than the level of study, it is the type of education that is of interest », nuance Alice Bellicha, lecturer at the Sorbonne Paris Nord University and main author. “ For example, we realize that health students have fewer prejudices than students of the same age in other fields – in commerce for example – precisely because they are aware of this subject. ».
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According to the researchers, this erroneous view of the French towards people suffering from obesity reveals an alarming ignorance of the causes of this pathology. “ Intervention studies in the United States show that when students are taught about the causes of obesity, their prejudices decrease “, explains Alice Bellicha. In this case, obesity is of multifactorial origin, combining behavioral, environmental, genetic, metabolic, social and psychological factors. “ The origin of a significant weight gain is therefore much more complex than a matter of motivation or personal choice. “Explains Anne-Sophie Joly, president of the National Collective of Obese Associations (CNAO).
But then where do these preconceived ideas come from? According to Anne-Sophie Joly, “ prejudices set in between the ages of 3 and 6. Once they are established, the child sits on beliefs until 11-12 years old. This means that children construct their perception from an early age under the influence of their parents and their social environment. As for the culprit of the average increase in the weight of the French, according to a recent study, Jean-Michel Oppert, head of the Nutrition department at the Pitié Salpêtrière hospital (AP-HP) and co-author of the study, points to the food system himself. “ Rather than accusing people of the way they eat, it would be more correct to question the entire current food system that promotes overconsumption ».
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The cry of alarm also aims to raise awareness of the significant consequences of the “ grossophobie on mental and physical health, professional career (discrimination in hiring, lower wages, fewer promotions), social interactions but also on self-esteem. “ Among young people in particular, the pressure to have the perfect body creates an anxiety-provoking climate at the idea of gaining weight, the phenomenon being increased by the growing use of social networks “, informs Anne-Sophie Joly.
Deconstructing prejudices would, according to the researchers, reduce the forms of stigmatization. “ In this sense, we plead for the development of public information but also better training of health professionals.», indicates Jean-Michel Oppert. This should lead to a more inclusive environment for people suffering from excess weight: “ choosing furniture adapted to all body types, for example larger armchairs in a waiting room, is already a sign of openness and tolerance “says the doctor.
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