Med. praxi. 2025;22(3):160-163 | DOI: 10.36290/med.2025.021

Stigmatization of people with obesity in the context of etiological factors

Mgr. Erika Čermáková, Mgr. Martin Forejt, Ph.D.

Ústav veřejného zdraví, Lékařská fakulta, Masarykova univerzita, Brno

Stigmatization of people with obesity is undesirable. However, it is a common phenomenon that can paradoxically reduce the motivation of obese people to improve their lifestyle. It is therefore essential to raise awareness of this problem and to address it in the context of obesity prevention and treatment. Susceptibility to the so-called obesogenic environment, which is at the forefront of the causes of the ever-increasing prevalence of obesity, is influenced by a number of factors. Many of these aetiological factors cannot be influenced by will alone. For this reason, no one with obesity should be stigmatized, especially by health professionals. Their insensitive attitude can have serious and irreversible negative health consequences. Everyone with obesity should be positively motivated to change their lifestyle because obesity itself is a significant predictive factor for the development of a number of serious comorbid diseases.

Keywords: obesity, obesity stigma, etiological factors, health risks of obesity, recommendations for clinical practice.

Received: March 3, 2025; Revised: March 29, 2025; Accepted: March 31, 2025; Published: June 26, 2025  Show citation