Obesity is a common, yet serious disease that results from genetic and environmental driven factors that lead to inappropriately elevated levels of body fat mass. Patients often receive a diagnosis of obesity based on body mass index (BMI) in their medical chart, without adequate explanations of how their BMI relates to their health and discussions of obesity as a complex disease with a biological basis. These gaps in communication between the physicians and patients can lead to internalization of weight bias that has a detrimental effect on both physical and mental health and can make patients less likely to seek health care and comply with recommendations.

Our Weight & Wellness project aims to address these challenges related to weight bias in healthcare. Our current focus is engaging with patients who have experienced weight bias in order to better understand those experiences, design patient-centered interfaces that can compassionately capture and share personal narratives, and develop physician-facing tools that provide training and communication support to help guide constructive discussions on obesity between physician and patient and, in turn, begin dismantling weight stigma.