Description
Select one of the designated prompts below to write an essay about. Expected length of essay is 5-7 paragraphs with at least two citations in APA format.
Prompt 1: Bias
Consider the evidence in which adults with obesity are treated unfairly in either the work place or healthcare Links to an external site. setting. How does this change the behavior of the affected people? What are proposed solutions to recognize weight biases Links to an external site. and prevent inequities? Which groups are advocating for these initiatives?
Prompt 2: Fat Acceptance
There are campaigns to promote the acceptance of larger individuals; to let them flourish. Find these on social media and through advocacy groups. Read their work and listen to their statements, including feelings applied to those who have lost weight. Describe the inevitable tension that exists between the attempt to normalize larger bodies while also promoting health.
Prompt 3: Topics!
The Obesity Action Coalition provides several resources to appropriately understand this complex disease. Choose of the following topics to review and write about. Linked to each topic are videos or articles to get you started. Include additional research on statistics and patient resources on your topic and your own interpretation of how the topic fits in to the greater understanding of the disease.
Eating Disorders Links to an external site.: Understand the signs of an eating disorder and their prevalence among individuals with obesity.
Fashion at Every Size:Links to an external site. This topic explores the often limited availability of clothes that promote a greater self-efficacy.
Weight Stigma and GenderLinks to an external site.: How do we think about weight differently across gender? Why? How does this lead to differences in how obese individuals of different genders are treated?
Movie: The WhaleLinks to an external site.: While, it’s not an OAC topic, there was an excellent interview by OAC and the movie’s creators Links to an external site.. but you may choose to watch and provide your critique based on our module of this powerful 2022 film in which Brendan Fraser won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Prompt 4: Psychological Effects on Children
Consider the heaviest child in the classroom. Describe the social challenges they face by citing work on either depression and anxiety, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, emotional problems, medical consequences, socio-emotional consequences, or academic consequences.
Put yourself in their position and discuss how would you, as a young, impressionable, and developing child handle the stigma you’d encounter? Describe the importance of a social network and describe evidence-based strategies employed to boost the self-efficacy of children struggling with obesity.
