Papers and data

 

Jerome Dargent

Cultural representations of obesity and moral consequences

There are differences and variations in representing obesity over the ages and in geography as well. Yet there are similarities, because this representation is often related to characteristics beyond obesity. Therefore we must admit that friendly representations of obese people are scarce. The core values of the society they live in usually outline the common description of obese people by artists, and by physicians as well. There may be a control strategy behind these representations, for instance in describing the self-inflicted gluttony. Being aware of this, sometimes misleading, information should make it easier to propose a global strategy that could be both efficient and respectful.

Inez de Beaufort & Frans Meulenberg

Overweight and obesity in movies

Fictional persons are the embodiment of ideas, prejudices, sometimes sketched realistically sometimes as a caricature, that people have. It reflects attitudes of society. In what way are obese people represented in fiction? We will discuss a set of ‘stubborn’, stereotypical images of obesity in movies, that are present in the cultural realm and influencing public responses. ‘Stereotypes’ that may confirm or strengthen certain stereotypical ideas people have about obesity.

Inez de Beaufort

The duty not to be ugly

In the moral debate on obesity not only health-related arguments to loose weight are brought forward, but also arguments that have to with appearance and character. I will discuss two of those arguments: the ‘glutton’ argument (obese persons have a weak character and are therefore morally deficient) and the ‘sore sight for eyes argument’ (obese people are a nuisance for others). Both arguments, I hope to show, are not convincing.

Sofie Vandamme

Obesity talk: A story of sloth and gluttony with a moral ending…

In this presentation, I will delineate some aspects of the image of obesity in the media and in popular scientific publications. In particular, I will describe how two opposite perceptions of obesity play a role in the debate on obesity: the perspective of the ‘health workers’ and the perspective of the ‘fat’ people themselves. The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, I will explain how both perspectives on obesity are involved in the media comment on the obesity epidemic and in the conceptualization of obesity as being a disease. Consequently, I wish to delineate how these concepts are framed by a whole range of implicit and explicit moral argumentations. I hope to explain how talking about obesity is imbedded in cultural values like responsibility, individual freedom and identity.

Abigail Saguy

The Morality of Weight, The Weight of Morality Fat Prejudice and How it Shapes Science, News, and Politics

Body weight and eating have become highly moralized since the turn of the 20th century in the United States and elsewhere, with fat bodies coming to represent gluttony, sloth, and lack of work ethic. Moreover, negative attitudes about fat bodies inform scientific studies about “obesity” and how journalists report on such studies, thereby shaping what we know to be true about weight and health. Fat prejudice has also influenced U.S. policy approaches to the so-called obesity epidemic. I argue that there are important social costs to the current “war on fat” and suggest alternative approaches.

Abby Wilkerson

Fit Hero or Fat Freeloader? Fears of a “Fat and Sick Nation”

Bodily ideals are a powerful metaphor for hopes and fears about the body politic, and medical and aesthetic norms related to obesity are no exception. This profoundly political dimension of obesity debates in the industrialized Western societies driving global anti-obesity efforts deserves more attention. This presentation, focusing on the US while raising broader questions, traces post-September 11 cultural portrayals of heroically fit conservative officials, in contrast to fat people, who are represented as a burden on the nation. This fat-or-fit dichotomy mirrors the Presidential logic on the war against terrorism, “You’re either for us or against us.” Obesity discourse serves as a cultural repository for fantasies and fears about national identity, incorporating overtly politicized debates about both individual fitness for inclusion in democracy, and US claims to model democracy and self-government. Bodily self-discipline is every individual’s responsibility to society—a consistent theme of current anti-obesity efforts in the US. In popular culture, since consumers can purchase the means for self-improvement yet still get fat, then they are willfully so, imposing their healthcare costs on the responsible rest of us. Public health figures compare fatness to terrorism as a grave danger facing the nation. Obesity discourse can function as a wedge between social groups, undermining any sense of collective responsibility for human need and vulnerability, with people of color, immigrants, and the poor as special targets.

Carmen Pérez Rodrigo

Obesity: Implications from a Public Health perspective

According to WHO estimates, more than 1 billion adults are overweight and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. Obesity has been qualified as the epidemic of the 21st century. The problem is not restricted to industrialized societies; developing countries and particularly those undergoing transition situations suffer the same, often coexisting with malnutrition. Of special concern is the increasing numbers of overweightchildren and adolescents in many countries. Major environmental and lifestyle changes related to diet and physical activity in the last decades have been implicated in the increasing trends of overweight. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is commonly assessed by using body mass index (BMI), defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2). A BMI over 25 kg/m2 is defined as overweight, and a BMI of over 30 kg/m2 as obese. However, there is not a clear consensus regarding the definition of obesity among children and adolescents. Evidence shows that obesity is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death, to serious chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or several types of cancer, that reduce the overall quality of life. Obesity accounts for 2-6% of total health care costs in several developed countries, although some estimates the figure refer up to 9%, while the true costs are undoubtedly much greater. Effective weight management for individuals and groups at risk of developing obesity involves a range of long-term strategies: prevention, weight maintenance, management of co-morbidities and weight loss. They should be part of an integrated, multi-sectoral, population-based approach, which includes environmental support for healthy diets and regular physical activity. There is sound evidence that positive changes in food habits and physical activity could contribute to prevent the problem. On this basis, in the 57th World Health Assembly held in 2004, the World Health Organization approved the Global Strategy on Diet and Physical Activity, encouraging all member states to develop and implement national action plans.

Pedro Teixeira

The health consequences of overweight and obesity: Should we prevent
weight gain and/or induce weight loss?

The most important health complications associated with excess weight in adults, from both physiological and psychosocial viewpoints, will be briefly reviewed, as well as the benefits expected to derive from intentional weight reduction. Secondly, the extent to which other factors (e.g., physical activity and/or fitness and healthy nutrition) influence health and well-being among the adult obese (with or without weight loss) will be addressed.

Marieke Helmus

Rimonabant: self-creating, self-binding or self-blinding?

Rimonabant is a new drug in the set of anti-obesity agents. The popular press presented rimonabant as a wonder pill. I will critically assess this positive label by describing its working mechanism and effectiveness. Furthermore, I will discuss its self-constraining and ‘self-creating’ properties and their relation to self-command. Finally, I will reflect on the influence of external pressures to use rimonabant. Rimonabant is not perfect, so naturally pharmaceutics will continue to develop new drugs against overweight and obesity. It is wise to define the moral boundaries of the use and consequences of such drugs in general. More than focusing on a rejecting account, I will characterize what properties are desirable in an anti-obesity device. I will try to design a morally perfect drug, our own ‘wonder pill’.