Words matter.

The words we use shape how we see one another, how we treat people, and how individuals see themselves. In health care, language determines whether someone feels respected or judged, supported or dismissed, empowered or ashamed. It directly influences quality of care, health outcomes, and whether a person ever returns to a health care setting. That is why the conversation surrounding obesity must change.

For decades, public discussion of obesity has been saturated with stigma, stereotypes, and misconceptions. People living with obesity have been labeled lazy or lacking willpower, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that obesity is a complex, multifaceted, chronic disease influenced by biological, genetic, environmental, and social factors.

The consequences of that stigma are real. Research consistently shows that weight bias and discrimination harm both physical and mental health. It discourages people from seeking medical care, contributes to depression and social isolation, and worsens long-term health outcomes. Weight stigma is not confined to health care. It permeates workplaces, schools, media, and everyday interactions. It remains one of the most socially accepted forms of discrimination today, and for many people living with obesity, it is a daily reality.

This growing recognition is a key reason why The Obesity Society (TOS) recently released a new policy brief on obesity-related language. The guidance reflects a broader shift across health care, research, policy, and public health: Language surrounding obesity is not neutral. It shapes public attitudes, influences health care experiences, impacts policy decisions, and affects whether individuals feel respected, supported, and willing to seek care.

This shift goes far beyond terminology. It reflects a growing consensus that obesity must be treated like any other complex, chronic disease, with science, empathy, and respect rather than judgment and blame.

Terms like “morbidly obese,” “non-compliant,” or “anti-obesity” subtly frame the individual as the problem, ignoring the biological, environmental, genetic, and societal factors that drive obesity. These words, both explicitly and implicitly, affect how patients are treated, how policies are developed, how media covers obesity, and how individuals see themselves.

Language shapes culture, and culture shapes care. When people feel judged or shamed, they are less likely to seek medical care, discuss concerns openly with providers, or pursue treatment. Weight stigma has been linked to delayed screenings, poorer mental health outcomes, reduced physical activity, and avoidance of health care altogether. In health care, weight stigma becomes a health threat itself. It drives inequities, reduces effectiveness of care, and erodes the patient-practitioner relationship. In many cases, the stigma surrounding obesity becomes its own public health issue.

That is why even small language changes matter. Saying “person with obesity” instead of “obese person” puts the individual before the disease. People are not defined by obesity. Referring to “obesity medications” rather than “anti-obesity medications” removes adversarial framing and recognizes obesity as a chronic condition deserving evidence-based treatment, like diabetes or hypertension. Replacing “non-compliant” with language that acknowledges barriers to care recognizes treatment complexity and the realities patients face.

These changes are not about political correctness. They are about reducing harm, improving care, and extending the same dignity and respect to people living with obesity that we expect for patients with any other long-term condition.

We do not routinely define people by other chronic diseases or assign moral value to their health conditions. Yet obesity remains one of the few conditions where stigma and blame are still normalized and too often go unchallenged.

TOS’s policy brief reflects a growing understanding that ending weight stigma requires action across sectors: health care, media, education, workplaces, research, and public policy. How obesity is discussed in news coverage, portrayed in entertainment and advertising, addressed in schools, or spoken about in clinics all determine whether bias is reinforced or challenged.

Changing language alone will not solve obesity or eliminate discrimination. But language determines whether conversations are rooted in shame or science, blame or compassion. That is why initiatives like TOS’s End Weight Stigma campaign and pledge, launched at ObesityWeek last year, are critical.

By signing the pledge, individuals and organizations commit to treating people with overweight or obesity with dignity and respect, rejecting stigmatizing language and stereotypes, and supporting education, research, and policies grounded in science and compassion. The pledge recognizes that weight stigma and discrimination have no place in modern society. It calls on all of us to help create a culture that is more inclusive, informed, and respectful.

Ending weight stigma will require more than awareness. It demands that health care leaders, employers, educators, policymakers, researchers, media organizations, and individuals rethink how obesity is discussed and how people living with obesity are treated.

TOS is leading that change. Let’s work together to shift the conversation and, more importantly, shift how people living with this chronic, progressive disease are treated.

Sherlyn Celone-Arnold is CEO of The Obesity Society, the leading U.S. organization advancing the science, treatment, and prevention of obesity. Stuart W. Flint is an associate professor of the psychology of obesity at the University of Leeds.

The Obesity Society (TOS) is the leading scientific organization dedicated to advancing the understanding, prevention, and treatment of obesity. Through research, education, and evidence-based advocacy, TOS promotes a comprehensive and science-driven approach to addressing obesity as a serious, chronic, and treatable disease. Its members include scientists, clinicians, policymakers, and other professionals working to improve health outcomes and reduce the global impact of obesity.

TOS publishes Obesity, its flagship peer-reviewed scientific journal. Learn more at obesity.org, and follow the Society on Instagram, X, and YouTube.