Obesity affects millions worldwide and an increasing number in Malaysia. Yet, despite its growing prevalence, public understanding of obesity remains superficial — often reduced to simplistic narratives about willpower and personal choices. On World Obesity Day 2026, we invite Malaysians to look deeper: to understand the complexity of obesity, to dismantle stigma, and to consider compassionate actions that support health and dignity for all.

What Drives Obesity? More Than Just Calories

Obesity is a chronic disease influenced by a web of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Scientific evidence shows that weight regulation involves complex interactions between metabolism, hormones, brain signals that control hunger and fullness, genetics, stress response systems, sleep patterns, and even our gut microbiome.¹

For example, when people lose weight through strict dieting alone, their bodies respond by increasing hunger hormones like ghrelin and decreasing energy expenditure, a biological attempt to restore previous weight.² This explains why many people experience weight regain after diets that are overly restrictive or not sustainable.

Obesity is not synonymous with overeating or lack of self-control. Instead, it often reflects how human physiology interacts with an environment where high-calorie foods are abundant, physical activity is limited by urban design and sedentary lifestyles, and stress is pervasive.

Why Stigma Matters

One of the most harmful challenges for people affected by obesity is weight stigma — negative attitudes, bias, and discrimination directed toward people based on body size. Sadly, this stigma is widespread, including in healthcare, workplaces, schools, families, and online spaces.

Stigma affects health in multiple ways:

• It initiates a cascade of psychological and physiological mechanisms with negative implications for mental and physical health.³
• It leads to avoidance of healthcare.⁴
• It encourages unhealthy eating behaviours.⁵
• It reinforces self-blame, which undermines motivation and self-confidence.⁶

Repeated cycles of “failed diets” are often interpreted by individuals as personal failures, when in fact the failures reflect restrictive, unsustainable approaches and a lack of supportive systems. On World Obesity Day, it is crucial to challenge the narrative that obesity is a sign of weak willpower. This narrative does not align with modern science and it harms people’s wellbeing.

What Can People Affected by Obesity Do

If you are living with obesity, there are steps you can take to support your health without falling into the trap of restrictive dieting:

• Focus on habits instead of weight. Aim for balanced meals, regular eating patterns, and enjoyable ways of moving your body.
• Avoid relying solely on social media trends or extreme diets. Sustainable progress often comes from small, consistent changes. 
• Be compassionate with yourself. Setbacks are part of the process, not proof of failure.
• Seek support from trained professionals who understand both the biology and lived experience of obesity, especially obesity physician specialists and registered dietitians experienced in obesity care. 

Physicians can assess metabolic risks, prescribe appropriate medical therapies when needed, and monitor health markers. Dietitians provide Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) – evidence-based and personalised guidance that helps people incorporate sustainable eating patterns, addresses barriers to healthy behaviours, and supports metabolic health.⁷

What Can People Not Affected Do

Even if obesity has not affected your own body, you likely know someone whose health or confidence is compromised by weight stigma. Here are actions you can take:

• Avoid weight-focused comments, jokes or unsolicited advice.
• Recognise that body size does not reflect character or discipline, and everyone has a unique health journey.
• Listen without judgment.
• Support inclusive conversations about health and wellbeing.
• Encourage health behaviours that are flexible and sustainable instead of fad diets.

Healthy behaviour is not exclusive to people with obesity, good nutrition, adequate sleep, and stress management are universal wellness goals. Certainly, respect is powerful medicine.

What Should Healthcare Professionals Do

Healthcare professionals play a vital role in shaping patient experience and outcomes. To improve obesity care:

• Use weight-neutral language. Focus on health outcomes rather than body size alone.
• Integrate multidisciplinary care. Collaboration between physicians, dietitians, psychologists, and physiotherapists offers comprehensive support.
• Provide evidence-based guidance. Avoid promoting fad diets that lack scientific backing.
• Connect care to function and quality of life. For example, improving blood sugar levels, energy, mobility, and self-efficacy are meaningful goals.

Healthcare systems must create environments where people feel safe discussing obesity without shame. When patients feel heard rather than judged, they are more likely to engage in long-term care.

What Role Do Social Media Influencers Have?

Influencers have powerful voices — with the potential to inform or misinform. Many diet trends circulating online lack scientific basis and promote unrealistic expectations. Influencers can be part of the solution by:

• Sharing evidence-based nutrition content.
• Highlighting diverse body types and health narratives.
• Avoiding oversimplified ‘quick-fix’ claims, like “eat this to lose weight fast.”
• Collaborating with obesity-trained healthcare professionals to ensure accuracy and protect public welfare.
• Reminding audiences that social media advice does not replace professional medical or nutrition consultation.

Influencers who promote balanced approaches can help reduce stigma and empower audiences with accurate information.

What Should Policymakers Focus On?

Policy action is critical to transform environments that contribute to obesity. Examples include:

• Improving access to affordable, healthy foods in schools and communities.
• Strengthening nutrition labelling.
• Regulating advertising of less healthy food to children.
• Designing cities that promote physical activity.

Policies should reflect compassion and support systemic change, not just individual responsibility.

A Call to Action: Compassion, Respect, and Collaboration

As Malaysia commemorates World Obesity Day 2026, the message is clear: obesity is complex, but our response does not have to be. 

We can choose science over stigma.

We can choose structured care over quick fixes.

We can choose dignity over judgment.

Let us redefine success in obesity care — not as a smaller waistline, but as improved wellbeing, dignity, and quality of life for every individual.

Because beyond blame, there is understanding.

Beyond stigma, there is support.

And beyond fad diets, there is sustainable care.

References

1. World Obesity Federation. Obesity & its roots – www.worldobesity.org/what-we-do/our-policy-priorities/the-roots-of-obesity (Accessed 3 March 2026)
2. Sumithran P, Prendergast LA, Delbridge E, Purcell K, Shulkes A, Kriketos A, Proietto J. Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss. N Engl J Med. 2011 Oct 27;365(17):1597-604.
3. Hunger JM, Major B, Blodorn A, Miller CT. Weighed down by stigma: How weight-based social identity threat contributes to weight gain and poor health. Soc Personal Psychol Compass. 2015 Jun;9(6):255-268. 
4. Alberga AS, Edache IY, Forhan M, Russell-Mayhew S. Weight bias and health care utilization: a scoping review. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2019 Jul 22;20:e116.
5. Wellman JD, Araiza AM, Newell EE, McCoy SK. Weight stigma facilitates unhealthy eating and weight gain via fear of fat. Stigma Health. 2018 Aug;3(3):186-194.
6. Rubino F, Puhl RM, Cummings DE, et al. Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity. Nat Med. 2020;26(4):485-497.
7. Raynor HA, Morgan-Bathke M, Baxter SD, Halliday T, Lynch A, Malik N, Garay JL, Rozga M. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Medical Nutrition Therapy Behavioral Interventions Provided by Dietitians for Adults With Overweight or Obesity, 2024. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2024 Mar;124(3):408-415.