Critical Physiotherapy Ethics: Openness and doubt in physiotherapy encounters in lifestyle programs for children and adolescents with obesity

Abstract

In this article, we draw on Barbara Gibson’s critical physiotherapy ethics to argue for changes in how physiotherapists approach children and adolescents with obesity. In line with Gibson’s approach, we seek to reframe practice by applying an ethics committed to openness and doubt, arguing that such an ethics can help physiotherapists discover and analyse ethical moments in the context of lifestyle programs targeting children and adolescents with obesity. Drawing on the experiences of an adolescent participant and a physiotherapist involved in two different Norwegian group-based programs emphasizing weight control, we show how Gibson’s post-critical ethics can help physiotherapists become more reflective, challenge established norms, and open up new possibilities for practice. In our conclusion, we emphasize the ability of critical physiotherapy ethics to raise questions about the status quo, stimulate debate, and encourage fresh thinking with regards to children and adolescents seeking to tackle their obesity.

Keywords

• critical physiotherapy ethics
• obesity
• children
• adolescents