{"id":443,"date":"2026-02-26T15:20:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/?p=443"},"modified":"2026-08-14T19:30:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T18:30:38","slug":"blog-world-obesity-day-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/2026\/02\/26\/blog-world-obesity-day-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udccf Beyond the Scales: UK Voices Against Weight Stigma (World Obesity Day ’26)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each World Obesity Day (March 4th) is a reminder that we need to keep rethinking how we talk about and respond to obesity. This blog brings together key UK organisations and influential voices working to reduce weight stigma and ensure lived experience is at the heart of change.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A major milestone in this area is the International Consensus Statement and Pledge to Eradicate Weight Stigma<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0led by King\u2019s College London and endorsed by over 100 organisations. It shifts the focus away from personal blame and highlights the biological, environmental, and social factors that contribute to obesity. The pledge calls for respectful language, non\u2011stigmatising imagery, and stronger advocacy across public systems.<\/p>\n

The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA)<\/strong><\/a> brings together more than 60 organisations committed to stigma\u2011free, equitable, person\u2011centred care. Their work recognises how harmful stigma can be\u2014and how often it prevents people from seeking support. The British Dietetic Association (BDA)<\/strong><\/a> \u00a0also plays a vital role, providing practical guidelines for person\u2011first language and the use of non\u2011dehumanising imagery, which is especially important given how commonly stigma is experienced in healthcare settings.<\/p>\n

Across the UK, public\u2011facing resources are growing too. Food Active\u2019s Weight Stigma Resource Hub<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 offers accessible tools and examples for practitioners and local authorities, challenging the idea that obesity is just a matter of personal choice and helping shift public understanding. At the same time, patient and public involvement (PPI) initiatives like Obesity Voices<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0ensure people with lived experience have genuine influence over research, policy, and practice.<\/p>\n

Several key individuals are also helping reshape national conversations. Sarah Le Brocq<\/strong><\/a>, Founder of All About Obesity CIC, is one of the UK\u2019s leading advocates. She blends lived experience with scientific insight and national policy roles at NICE, NHSE, and the OHA. Her work reframes obesity as a chronic condition rather than a personal failing.<\/p>\n

Ken Clare<\/a><\/strong>, Chair of the UK Coalition for People Living with Obesity (UKCPO) and co\u2011founder of Obesity Voices, is another long\u2011standing lived\u2011experience leader. He champions peer\u2011led communities and ensures that those most affected are shaping services, research, and strategy.<\/p>\n

Scientific communicators such as Dr Giles Yeo<\/strong><\/a>, a genetics expert, also play an important role by challenging the \u201cchoice\u201d narrative and promoting compassion grounded in evidence. And Dr Stephanie DeGiorgio<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0works nationally to improve how healthcare professionals communicate about obesity, strengthening scientific understanding and reducing stigma in clinical settings.<\/p>\n

Together, these organisations and individuals signal a positive shift in the UK – away from stigma and towards evidence\u2011based, compassionate, and inclusive approaches. On World Obesity Day, it\u2019s more important than ever to amplify these efforts, challenge outdated assumptions, and ensure that every voice is heard, respected, and valued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Written by Dr Alice Bullas, Sheffield Hallam University.<\/p>\n

Edited by Co-Pilot AI (University Enterprise License).<\/p>\n

Image: Wold Obesity<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each World Obesity Day (March 4th) is a reminder that we need to keep rethinking how we talk about and respond to obesity. This blog brings together key UK organisations and influential voices working to reduce weight stigma and ensure lived experience is at the heart of change. A major milestone in this area is … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “\ud83d\udccf Beyond the Scales: UK Voices Against Weight Stigma (World Obesity Day ’26)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":632,"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions\/632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.shu.ac.uk\/shusize\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}