Council on Size and Weight Discrimination

Founded in 1990, the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination is a not-for-profit advocacy group working to end discrimination based on body size, shape, or weight. The Council serves as a consumer advocacy group for large-size people, especially in medical treatment, job discrimination, and media images. It offers information, counseling, and referral for people who have encountered weight discrimination. The Council provides literature and technical assistance to professionals in the fields of eating disorders, body image, and weight issues. It works with regulatory agencies, legislatures, and the media to change prejudicial attitudes and policies regarding weight. The organization provides public education through its website, http://www.cswd.org.

The Council's Medical Advocacy Project works with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 1995, the Director of the Council's Medical Advocacy Project, Lynn McAfee, testified at an FDA hearing urging the disapproval of Redux (Fen-Phen) on the grounds that the drug had not been thoroughly studied. Two years later, when evidence of serious side effects and deaths had surfaced, the drug was removed from the market. The Council continues to testify for proof of long-term safety and effectiveness of new diet drugs.

The Council advocates evidence-based public health policies, including full disclosure of actual long-term success rates by weight-loss programs. McAfee was appointed a member of the Partnership for Health Weight Management of the FTC. The Partnership put together the first official government publication targeting fraud in the weight-loss industry. This publication asks weight-loss programs to abide by fair consumer practices, warn customers of the risks of diet products, and disclose the fact that most dieters will regain the weight they lose. In 2003, when the FTC announced a crackdown on fraudulent weight-loss programs, McAfee spoke at the press conference.

The Council has had success in convincing regulatory agencies to address medical discrimination and inappropriate care of large patients. In 2003, with the Council's input, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) published a brochure, aimed at healthcare professionals, promoting respectful treatment for large patients. The Council on Size and Weight Discrimination is listed as a resource.

The Council is part of the Size Acceptance movement as well as of the Health at Every Size community of organizations and professionals. The Council stands for the principles that all people, no matter what their weight, deserve equal treatment in the job market and on the job, and that all people, no matter what their weight, deserve respectful treatment by healthcare professionals.