Another aspect to consider is the common use of body mass index (BMI) as a measuring tool, says Sabrina Strings, an associate professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine and author of Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia. BMI …was developed as a way to assess a population, not individuals. It’s especially problematic because it’s based on white men, while Black and white people tend to have different body compositions, says Strings. “Use of BMI is rooted in anti-Blackness and sexism,” she says. … Most of all, doctors should cultivate more awareness around their own beliefs, language, and approach, Strings advises. “Being fat is not an illness,” she says. “Just using that perspective would take us a long way toward change.”

For the full story, please visit https://time.com/6251890/weight-bias-doctors-how-to-overcome/.