Family Medicine Commons^™

Patient Recommendations For Providers To Avoid Stigmatizing Weight In Rural-Based Women With Low Income, Declan Watson, Katherine Hughes, Emma Robinson, Jacqueline Billette, Andrea E. Bombak

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Weight stigma has become widespread within health care and disproportionately affects women, who are under greater appearance-based scrutiny than men. It is also well established that rural-based individuals with low incomes suffer greater health disparities compared with urban, higher-income counterparts, yet studies examining recommendations for nonstigmatizing health care among higher-weight women from low-income rural settings are lacking. This study examined the experiences and recommendations of higher-weight, low-income, rural women, with the aim of improving health care for similar populations.

Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in a rural region of the Midwestern United States to explore participants’ recommendations for …