Impact Of Weight Stigma Research Articles

'My words would have more weight': exploring weight stigma in UK dietetic practice and dietitian's lived experiences of weight stigma.

Weight stigma is pervasive within healthcare and negatively impacts both access to care and the patient-practitioner relationship. There is limited evidence on weight stigma among registered dietitians, particularly in the United Kingdom, though data show weight-related prejudice towards people living with obesity. The aim of this study was to examine both explicit and implicit weight stigma in practicing dietitians in the United Kingdom, as well as the lived experience of weight stigma among dietitians, both towards themselves and towards others. An online cross-sectional survey was disseminated between February and May 2022 using snowball sampling. Inclusion criteria were that participants were UK registered dietitians aged 20-70 years. Four hundred and two dietitians responded to the survey (female [94.1%], mean age 40.2 years [standard deviation (SD) 10.7]; White ethnicity [90%]; median 12 years [interquartile range (IQR) 6, 22] within dietetic practice). Mean self-reported body mass index was 25.1 kg/m² (SD 8.7). Most dietitians reported experiencing weight stigma prior to (51%) and postregistration (59.7%), whereas nearly a quarter (21.1%) felt that weight influenced their ability as a dietitian. Weight stigma was experienced across the weight spectrum. Overall participants reported explicit weight bias attitudes, moderate beliefs that obesity is controllable and implicit antifat bias. Within open-ended responses, dietitians reported three key themes related to their personal experiences of weight stigma: (1) experiences of stigma in dietetic practice, (2) impact of weight stigma and (3) perception of weight, appearance and job. This study shows that UK dietitians exhibit both explicit and implicit weight bias towards people living with obesity. Dietitians reported experiencing weight stigma, which impacted their career-related decisions and their perception of their own ability to perform as dietitians. The study highlights the need to address weight stigma and its implications within the dietetic profession.

The impact of weight stigma and masculinity on men’s health care engagement.

The impact of weight stigma and masculinity on men’s health care engagement.

The Physical and Mental Repercussions of Weight Stigma

Weight stigma, or sizeism, is prejudice and discrimination against an individual based on their weight. Sizeism must be addressed due to its extreme severity and misconceptions. Body dysmorphic disorder, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental disorders stem from weight stigma. Two extensive studies uncovered the prominence of body shaming. First, an experiment called “The Impact of Weight Stigma on Caloric Consumption” by Natasha Schvey et al. involved 73 women of varying weights who were randomly assigned to either a control group (exposed to regular advertisements) or an experimental group (exposed to fat-shaming content). Both groups were given access to snack bowls and participants were provided with questionnaires. The women in the overweight/stigma group consumed three times more calories than the normal weight/neutral group. Additionally, women in the overweight/neutral group consumed the least amount of calories among all groups. The second experiment, labeled “Unpacking the psychological weight of weight stigma: A rejection-expectation pathway” by Blodorn et al., required 84 females and 78 males to give a speech while either audio or video recording. There was a positive correlation between BMI and rejection expectations among women in the experimental group. Incorporating such findings into legislation in the workforce, measures in schools, and social movements will promote society’s betterment. Psychologists may also be able to use this information to understand how sizeism translates to defense mechanisms, mental disorders, and self-efficacy, and how it has become prevalent due to the just-world phenomenon.

Changing the global obesity narrative to recognize and reduce weight stigma: A position statement from the World Obesity Federation.

Weight stigma, defined as pervasive misconceptions and stereotypes associated with higher body weight, is both a social determinant of health and a human rights issue. It is imperative to consider how weight stigma may be impeding health promotion efforts on a global scale. The World Obesity Federation (WOF) convened a global working group of practitioners, researchers, policymakers, youth advocates, and individuals with lived experience of obesity to consider the ways that global obesity narratives may contribute to weight stigma. Specifically, the working group focused on how overall obesity narratives, food and physical activity narratives, and scientific and public-facing language may contribute to weight stigma. The impact of weight stigma across the lifespan was also considered. Taking a global perspective, nine recommendations resulted from this work for global health research and health promotion efforts that can help to reduce harmful obesity narratives, both inside and outside health contexts.

Constant vigilance: The impact of weight stigma, vigilance, and internalization on maladaptive eating behaviors.

Weight stigma (social devaluation because of weight) and weight bias internalization (self-stigma due to weight) have been independently implicated in maladaptive eating, which ultimately contributes to poor cardiometabolic health. Additionally, vigilance (being on the lookout for social devaluation) is connected to stress, poor sleep, and depression. Most research considers these factors separately but establishing how these variables interact with one another is essential to understanding their cumulative impact on health behaviors. Using a diverse national panel of adults in the United States (N = 1,051), this study tested several statistical moderated mediations in which weight stigma was both directly associated with maladaptive eating and indirectly associated with maladaptive eating via vigilance. We simultaneously examined whether the relationship between weight stigma and vigilance was moderated by self-stigma. Results indicated that experiencing weight stigma was directly related to each of the maladaptive eating behaviors (eating to cope, restrictive dieting frequency, and binge eating). Weight stigma was also indirectly related to each eating behavior through vigilance; this indirect relationship was stronger among those with high levels of weight bias internalization, compared to those with low levels of weight bias internalization. Race moderated the relationship between weight stigma and vigilance, such that participants identifying as Black had a stronger relationship between them. These results provide support for a theoretical model which explains how weight stigma, self-stigma, and vigilance interact with one another to produce negative health behaviors and highlight the importance of further investigation of vigilance in the context of weight stigma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Constant Vigilance: The Impact of Weight Stigma, Vigilance, and Internalization on Maladaptive Eating Behaviors

Supplemental Material for Constant Vigilance: The Impact of Weight Stigma, Vigilance, and Internalization on Maladaptive Eating Behaviors

Impact of weight stigma on preadolescents' and adolescents' disordered eating behaviors: Testing two mediation models

We investigated potential mechanisms that may explain the relationship between weight stigma and disordered eating behaviors, using 2 mediation models. In the first model we hypothesized that the relationship between weight stigma and disordered eating behaviors would be mediated by weight bias internalization, and jointly mediated by both weight bias internalization and core self-evaluation. In the alternative model we hypothesized that this relationship would be mediated by core self-evaluation, and jointly mediated by both core selfevaluation and weight bias internalization. Participants were 421 primary and secondary school students (aged 9–14 years) representing various weight categories, who responded to items about their weight stigma, weight bias internalization, core self-evaluation, and disordered eating behaviors. Results show that the 2 mediation models had a good fit to the data. Thus, improving core self-evaluation and reducing weight bias internalization appear to be significant for treating disordered eating behaviors in preadolescents and adolescents.

The impact of weight stigma on healthcare practitioner-patient relationship

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in obesity ISSN 2632-9808 (online)

The impact of weight stigma on decisions about weight loss surgery.

The impact of weight stigma on decisions about weight loss surgery.

Maternal nutrition and weight management in pregnancy: A nudge in the right direction

AbstractSuboptimal maternal nutrition and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) establish in mothers and their offspring a weight gain trajectory towards overweight and obesity. Therefore, pregnancy may be the best opportunity to disrupt the generational cycle of obesity. More than half of women in the UK now enter pregnancy overweight or obese, highlighting that if interventions are not targeted towards women in higher weight categories before conception they are likely to ‘miss the mark’. To address issues of suboptimal maternal nutrition and excessive GWG in antenatal care, health professionals need to consider how women's requirements and expectations may have changed in recent years and the impact of weight stigma on the care of women who are obese. This paper aims to drive changes in clinical practice guidelines, medical curricula, the language used by health professionals, and ultimately promote maternal nutrition and weight management in pregnancy as key priorities during antenatal care. Evidence indicates that women want non‐judgemental, simple and encouraging guidance in these areas. Small changes to health professionals’ practice can improve how advice regarding nutrition and weight management in pregnancy is delivered, and has the potential to reduce overweight and obesity prevalence in women and their children in the years to come. Surely that goal is worth pursuing.

Impact of weight stigma on physiological and psychological health outcomes for overweight and obese adults: A systematic review.

To summarize the associations between weight stigma and physiological and psychological health for individuals who are overweight or obese. Weight stigma can be defined as individuals experiencing verbal or physical abuse secondary to being overweight or obese. Weight stigma has negative consequences for both physiological and psychological health. A quantitative systematic review. PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and MEDLINE from 1 January 2008 - 30 July 2016. A systematic review was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines, the PRISMA statement guidelines and the quality assessment from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Inclusion criteria consisted of quantitative studies that examined the associations between weight stigma and physiological and psychological health outcomes in adults who were overweight or obese. Exclusion criteria consisted of qualitative studies, literature reviews, expert opinions, editorials and reports on weight stigma without health outcomes or with behavioural outcomes and intervention studies that reduced weight stigma. A quality appraisal of the selected studies was conducted. A total of 33 studies met the eligibility criteria. Weight stigma was positively associated with obesity, diabetes risk, cortisol level, oxidative stress level, C-reactive protein level, eating disturbances, depression, anxiety, body image dissatisfaction and negatively associated with self-esteem among overweight and obese adults. Weight stigma is associated with adverse physiological and psychological outcomes. This conclusion highlights the need to increase public and professional awareness about the issue of weight stigma and the importance of the further development of assessment and prevention strategies of weight stigma.

The Impact of Weight Stigma on Caloric Consumption

The present study assessed the influence of exposure to weight stigma on energy intake in both overweight and normal-weight adult women. Seventy-three women (mean age: 31.71 ± 12.72 years), both overweight (n = 34) and normal weight (n = 39), were randomly assigned to view one of two videos depicting either weight stigmatizing material or neutral material, after which they consumed snacks ad libitum. Pre- and post-video measures included blood pressure, attitudes toward overweight individuals, and positive and negative affect. Participants' body weight was measured, as was the number of kilocalories consumed following video exposure. Overweight women who watched the stigmatizing video ate more than three times as many kilocalories as overweight women who watched the neutral video (302.82 vs. 89.00 kcal), and significantly more calories than the normal-weight individuals who watched either the stigmatizing or the neutral video. A two-by-two analysis of covariance revealed that even after adjusting for relevant covariates, there was a significant interaction between video type and weight status in that when overweight, individuals consumed significantly more calories if they were in the stigmatizing condition vs. the neutral condition (F(1,65) = 4.37, P = 0.04, η(2) = 0.03). These findings suggest that among overweight women, exposure to weight stigmatizing material may lead to increased caloric consumption. This directly challenges the notion that pressure to lose weight in the form of weight stigma will have a positive, motivating effect on overweight individuals.