Overweight women find healthcare access and attitudes a constant struggle

"Women who are overweight and obese can find accessing healthcare difficult and stressful, according to research in the Journal of Advanced Nursing (64:2). Researchers from Texas, USA, carried out in-depth interviews with women aged between 20 and 61, after recruiting them through local advertisements placed in community agencies and a regional newspaper. 'The participants in our study described the experience of seeking healthcare as a constant battle and struggle and were upset by the reactions of healthcare staff' says lead author Professor Emily Merrill from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. 'They told us that they felt even more uncomfortable with specialists than with their own family doctors and nurse practitioners.' Four themes emerged: struggling to fit in, not feeling quite human, being dismissed and refusing to give up"