Background: Communication has an essential role in the therapeutic relationship between a patient and healthcare professionals (HCPs) with terminology playing an important role. The terminology used by HCPs can significantly impact on an individual's perceptions of weight and experience of stigma. This is the first quantitative research study in Aotearoa New Zealand to explore weight-related terminology.
Method: A self-completion questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of adults aged 18 years and over, residing in New Zealand across four different geographical regions (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) in 2016.
Results: Seven hundred and seventy-five participants completed questionnaires, with 330 identifying as HCPs or HCP students, 440 as lay persons and five not specified. 'Weight' or 'high BMI' were the most preferred terms for describing excess adiposity for participants. The term 'bariatric' is poorly understood in New Zealand. There was dissonance in responses relating to the terms considered most blaming and those considered to be motivating terms to lose weight.
Conclusion: The terms 'weight' or 'high BMI' are the terms most commonly preferred across this and other surveys, although neither term is meaningful in describing accurately the clinical relevance of the person's size during the HCP-patient interaction. Whichever term is selected, HCP-patient conversations need to be respectful, appropriate and support meaningful non-stigmatising dialogue.