Dr. David Sánchez Carracedo takes part in the VII Congress of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics
Dr. David Sánchez Carracedo, researcher and professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), participated on October 16th in the VII Congress of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics and 1st International Congress of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, held in Madrid. During the event, he examined emerging paradigms linking psychology and nutrition, presented under the theme “Nutrition with Emotion.”
As part of the program, Dr. Sánchez Carracedo opened a discussion forum with a communication titled “Weight Stigma and Fatphobia: A Health Issue, a Barrier to Change.” During his presentation, he explained that weight stigma—understood as social rejection toward people with overweight or obesity and shaped by stereotypes, prejudice, and discriminatory practices—manifests on three levels: structural, when it occurs within institutions; interpersonal, in everyday interactions with others; and intrapersonal or internalized, when it takes the form of self-stigma.
Dr. Sánchez Carracedo also emphasized that this phenomenon constitutes a major public health issue, widely present in settings such as the educational system, family environments, the workplace, and healthcare services. He further warned about its serious consequences, which include significant impacts on mental and physical health, the adoption of unhealthy behaviors, weight gain, and difficulties accessing appropriate treatment—factors that, in turn, contribute to the perpetuation of weight stigma. Finally, he underscored the need to promote a shift in the social narrative and to implement systemic measures aimed at reducing stigma and improving the approach to obesity.
The interdisciplinary forum featured contributions from a psychiatrist, a dietitian-nutritionist, a specialist in exercise and physical activity sciences, and an individual living with obesity, who shared their personal firsthand experience. Each participant delivered a brief initial intervention, followed by a moderated debate that included questions from the moderators and the audience. This format fostered a dynamic exchange among professionals from different fields on how to reduce weight stigma and promote more respectful and effective approaches in clinical practice.
Through this participation, the professor reaffirms the commitment of the UAB’s Department of Clinical and Health Psychology to research and raise awareness about the impact of weight stigma on health, as well as to promote a shift in perspective in the approach to obesity.