Coverage of obesity and obesity disparities on American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) examinations.

Obesity is a widespread disease which adversely impacts all organ systems and disproportionately affects African Americans and other minority groups. Physicians across medical specialties must possess current knowledge of obesity as an important, distinct disease with biological and social causes. Coverage of obesity on board certification examinations, which influence standards in medical knowledge and practice in each specialty, has not previously been examined. The member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties offer a content outline or "blueprint" detailing material tested. We parsed the 24 available general certification exam blueprints for mentions of obesity and related keywords. We categorized blueprints into three tiers: mention of obesity (Tier 1), mention of related terminology but not obesity (Tier 2), and no mention of obesity or related terminology (Tier 3). We analyzed mentions of obesity and related terms by blueprint word count and procedural versus non-procedural specialties. Six (25.0%) of 24 board exam blueprints mentioned obesity (Tier 1), fifteen (62.5%) mentioned related terminology only (Tier 2), and three (12.5%) mentioned neither obesity nor related terminology (Tier 3). There was no significant difference in obesity-related mentions between procedural and non-procedural specialties (X2, p = .50). None of the blueprints included racial/ethnic disparities related to obesity. Word count was not significantly correlated with mentions of obesity in linear regression (p = .42). The absence of any mention of obesity on most content outlines and of racial/ethnic disparities on all content outlines indicates need for increased coverage of the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of obesity across all board examinations.

Weight stigma and its impact on paediatric care.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to evaluate current research findings relevant to weight stigmatization, to acknowledge the deleterious impact it has on the health of the paediatric population and to provide insight to optimize future guidelines for the treatment of individuals with overweight and obesity. RECENT FINDINGS: Obesity prevalence continues to rise in the USA with estimates in children from ages 2-19 years of 18.5%, an all-time high. With the increase in obesity, there has been a concomitant increase in weight stigma, which affects both youth and general population across varied levels of socioeconomic status and body sizes. SUMMARY: Weight stigma is a contributing phenomenon to the current obesity epidemic, as individuals with stigmatized experiences (weight-based teasing, bullying, victimization) have increased risks for acquiring adverse health outcomes that encompass the physical, behavioural and psychological. Weight stigma can also lead affected individuals to internalize such experiences which decrease their overall quality of life. Sources of stigma may come from peers, family, educators, media, as well as healthcare professionals, as highlighted in this review. Efforts to establish prevention and treatment strategies for weight stigma may generate further traction to help improve global obesity rates. VIDEO ABSTRACT.