'Fat suit test' reveals med students' prejudice against overweight patients

John Travolta (left), seen here with Nikki Blonsky in a scene from the 2007 movie Hairspray, not only played a woman, but also donned a fat suit for his role. Fat suit roleplay might help in mitigating obesity stereotyping among medical students.

Getting patients to wear an obesity simulation suit, popularly known as a “fat suit”, may prove a useful teaching aid and help to uncover medical student prejudice against obesity, suggests a proof of concept study published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Destigmatising obesity is important for the future healthcare of obese or overweight patients, who may have a range of health issues linked to their weight and whose numbers have been rising steadily, say the researchers.