Weight Inclusive vs Normative: Explained!
Worthy of Wellness LLC takes a weight neutral approach when it comes to your care. In other words, we are weight inclusive. Great, right? But, what does that mean? And what about weight centric or weight normative? In an era where the lingo is constantly changing from: charisma, to cool, to rizz; let me help define some terms you might hear in the medical / nutrition space.
Weight centric and normative are phrases that are closely related and are of comparable philosophies. Intuitively, weight centric “centers” around or focuses on one’s weight and/or BMI to determine their health status. No other contributing factors are considered when talking to one about their health. Weight Centric excludes the person’s food intake, movement lifestyle, exercise, dieting history, family history, medical history, etc. Weight normative is an approach to healthcare where one’s health comes are linked to weight loss. Have you ever gone to the doctor’s office for concerns about non-weight issue and immediately been told to lose weight? A conversation like this, “Hi Doctor. My finger has been hurting me lately, can you check it out?” And with nothing more than a quick glance at your finger the doc says, “HMMMM yeah well looks like you need to lose weight.” This can be a triggering and infuriating exchange but it happens ALL THE TIME! This type of interaction is weight centric and weight normative. It is what we have been trained to accept is normal because it is what has historically been done.
Alright, let’s breakdown weight inclusive and weight neutral. Although, I bet you can see where I’m going with this.
Weight neutral does not place any moral implications or undue attention on one’s weight or BMI. Weight is part of the story not the ENTIRE story. Weight inclusive can be defined as: bringing a wholistic approach to health; in which an emphasis on weight loss is removed and a focus on improving health behaviors and access to care while combating weight bias is promoted. Those health behaviors get into the nitty gritty of life. Yes, it includes: daily movement, exercise routines, family medical history, personal medical history, pervious dieting. Ability to prepare food, access to food, road blocks to movement, social support, work conditions, and general daily life are considered with a weight inclusive application to health. Weight inclusivity attempts to combat the stigma that comes with the numbers on that scale.
Knowing how these terms are used in everyday life is important not only for our overall education but to help advocate for ourselves when need be. The more tools you have in your box the more your confidence in your capabilities, self-image, and self-advocacy will grow.
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Sources:
Tylka TL, Annunziato RA, Burgard D, et al. The Weight-Inclusive versus Weight-Normative Approach to Health: Evaluating the Evidence for Prioritizing Well-Being over Weight Loss. J Obes. 2014;2014:983495. doi:10.1155/2014/983495
Carson H. Weight Bias in Healthcare | Rudd Center for Food Policy. Published April 20, 2020. Accessed February 26, 2024. https://uconnruddcenter.org/research/weight-bias-stigma/healthcare-providers/
Health at every size: A concept to reduce weight-centric thinking and to promote body positivity. Johns Hopkins University Student WellBeing. Accessed October 16, 2024. https://wellbeing.jhu.edu/blog/2023/02/20/health-at-every-size/#:~:text=Weight%2Dcentric%20thinking%20is%20the,and%20disease%20are%20directly%20correlated.