Weight trouble: Between eating disorder and obesity myths

Within the past few years, attention has been devoted to exploring ways to integrate the prevention of eating disorders (ED) and obesity (OB). Research reveals considerable overlap between the risk factors for OB and EDs. Yet, collaboration between the two fields remains strained largely due to differences in philosophies and training.  Discourses have been initiated in the form of discussion papers and knowledge exchange events about how to break down the silos between the two fields. Yet, to date, no study has gathered empirical data on how practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and the general public perceive these health issues. The Beyond Obesity and Disordered Eating in Youth (BODY) study is a qualitative project that sheds light on the different meanings that individuals attribute to the “body shape and weight trouble”. Data have been collected across Canada through interviews conducted with 35 researchers/practitioners who work in either EDs or OB (for a total of 70 in-depth interviews) and five focus groups conducted with 26 youth (aged 16-26). The proposed paper will unpack the basic assumptions, discourses, and practices alive in the eating disorder and obesity prevention “camps.” In particular, I will focus on: (1) How and why two “camps” exist; (2) The existent “myths” alive between them and there consequences; and (3) How practitioners morally position themselves in the two “camps” debate and how this influence current prevention work. Finally, I will introduce a new ethical framework, called Corporeal Ethics, which aims to achieve both gender equity and equality in current prevention practices by being more in harmony with the bodily reality and experiences of youth.