The Peoples’ Obesity Justice Programme
WHAT IS THIS PROGRAMME?
A peer-to-peer programme co-developed by those who have been diagnosed with obesity alongside a wide range of health practitioners and researchers within Centric Lab.
This work aims to demonstrate the harm of the dominant, individualised, narrative of obesity. We present an alternative understanding that views obesity through a neuro-epidemiological, environmental and sociopolitical lens. This serves as an avenue for people who are experiencing obesity to understand their disease and explore potential methods of self-care, self-advocacy and safeguarding.
About the Programme
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The programme is co-developed by those who have been diagnosed with obesity alongside a wide range of health practitioners and researchers within Centric Lab. The programme has centred on exploring with people the multiple points of harm experienced from the medical system. As a result, the peers lead on a potential solution delivered at the grassroots level. Justice grants are then given to peers to work at the local level and report back on successes and failings.
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Research shows that the idea of using weight stigma to motivate weight loss in people with obesity is a societal misconception (Brown, Flint & Batterham, 2022). In fact, weight stigma incurs a range of negative consequences for health and well-being to the effect that, when people are negatively stereotyped, shamed, stigmatised, or treated unfairly because of their weight, these experiences increase the risk of both psychological distress and adverse physical health outcomes (Puhl, 2023).
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Peers are working at a local level to take the experiences of the programme and share with local communities.
Additionally, doctors involved in the development of the programme, and pamphlet, are actively promoting it amongst peers in the medical industry as a resource related to social prescribing.
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We are currently looking for partners to scale up the use of the pamphlet in primary care trusts and GP practices across the United Kingdom.
LATEST OUTPUT
Healing, Not Thinning:
This piece of work centres on the outcomes from providing micro-grants designed to give autonomy and dignity to individuals and communities.
This report will show how they have emerged as an innovative approach for Centric Lab to support holistic healing pathways. We are using these grants to start shaping new methods and imaginations around community health practices.
Obesity is increasingly understood as a condition marked by the dysregulation of multiple bodily systems, with mental health, stress, and environmental factors playing a crucial but often under-recognised role.
As said by Harvey & Miller [2023], micro-grants enable recipients to take the time to identify their specific health needs unique to their lived experience, explore personalised strategies for wellbeing, and create long-term solutions in their contexts.
What Participants Are Saying
“Where I was hopeless I’m hopefuly, where is was existing I’m now living.”
“It was really impactful to do something with the focus not being on weight….more holistic”
“It made me feel I can do things.”
Programme Outputs
A selection of works from this area of work.
If you want to read more, go to the Research Library.
Partner With Us
We work ecosystemically. We recognise that the pathway to the abolition of systems that create health injustices cannot be done alone. We always welcome approaches for partnerships with like-minded organisations to help drive our collective missions forward.
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