Type 2 diabetes in youth

Abstract

Since the 1990s, concerns about a global obesity epidemic have flourished. These concerns regarding obesity are expressed in popular culture and scientific literature and emphasize both weight and weight loss when defining health and well-being. As a result scholars are now calling attention to a “shadow epidemic” of weight stigma that is shown to have harmful physiological and psychological impacts in youth. In tandem with “globesity” concerns, there has been a similar concern expressed over the epidemic of type 2 diabetes, which some have termed “diabesity.” Although there is less known about diabetes stigma, the topic has much overlap with obesity stigma. In this narrative review we discuss the related problems of obesity and type 2 diabetes stigma, with an emphasis on issues specific to youth, as relevant. Drawing from literature on weight bias, critical weight studies, and Health at Every Size (HAES), we highlight pedagogical approaches to address obesity stigma and their implications to redress the problem of type 2 diabetes-related stigma in health care.