Overweight Candidates Research Articles

Perceptions of cigarette smoking and weight in hypothetical hiring decisions.

Prior studies indicate lower employment and greater difficulty securing reemployment among individuals who smoke or are overweight. In an anonymous online survey, we examined willingness to hire candidates who smoke cigarettes or are overweight for different job types and tested respondents' smoking history and body weight as moderating factors. Employed U.S. adults (N = 1,107) were recruited online in 2019-2020. Respondents indicated their willingness to hire and hiring preferences for six different job roles in reference to eight different attributes, which included smoking and overweight status. Analyses tested differences by job type and respondents' own smoking and overweight status. Percent willing to hire candidates who smoke (are overweight) was 7.6% (40.3%) for health aide, 15.3% (66.2%) for receptionist, and 53.6% (58.1%) for groundskeeper. Ever-smoker respondents were more likely than never-smokers to be willing to hire candidates who smoke (odds ratios [OR] = 1.98-3.00) and less likely to identify smoking as a least preferred attribute (ps < .009). Overweight respondents were more likely than nonoverweight respondents to be willing to hire overweight candidates (OR = 1.47-1.99) and less likely to identify overweight as a least preferred attribute (ps < .002). Moderating effects of respondent smoking or overweight status were greater for the public-facing receptionist versus groundskeeper position. In hypothetical hiring decisions, smoking and overweight were viewed as undesirable, particularly among respondents without the attribute tested. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Dietary changes adopted by overweight candidates desirous of joining armed forces: A food frequency questionnaire-based study

Background: Young male adults wishing to join armed forces have to comply with age-matched height and weight standards. Aim: This study aimed to examine the dietary changes adopted by young male adults declared overweight at initial medical examination. Settings and Designs: This was a cross-sectional observational study of candidates reporting for Appeal Medical Board (AMB). Materials and Methods: Nutrient information was collected using a 24-h semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire for food intake both before being declared unfit and before appearing for AMB. Calorie intake and macronutrient consumption were calculated using the Indian Council of Medical Research charts. Statistical Analysis: Microsoft Excel 2016 was used to analyze sample frequencies, percentage, mean (± standard deviation), and median (range), and paired t-test was used for comparing pre- and postdata. Results: Twenty-five male candidates participated in this study. They had reduced weight by a mean of 6.5 ± 2.7 kg by reducing caloric intake from 2884 ± 587.8 kcal to 1624.4 ± 327 kcal. The daily intake of carbohydrates was reduced from 510.2 ± 120.7 to 284.2 ± 67.0 g and fats from 60.46 ± 14.06 to 20.3 ± 3.0 g, whereas protein intake was increased from 64.4 ± 10.7 to 74.6 ± 11.8 g. The candidates had switched to a diet containing fruit, vegetable salad, mung dal, and oatmeal. Amount of calories expended by exercise was approximately 350 kcal/day. Majority had sourced the Internet for information. Conclusions: Young male adults being made unfit for overweight during initial medical examination reduce weight by adopting a low-fat diet.

Weight bias in US candidate selection and election

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to use data from the 2008 and 2012 US Senate elections to examine the relationship between candidate size (obese, overweight, normal weight) and candidate selection and election outcomes.Design/methodology/approach– Using pictures captured from candidate web sites, participants rated the size of candidates in the primary and general US Senate elections.χ2 analyses,t-tests and hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test for evidence of bias against overweight and obese candidates and whether gender and election information moderate that relationship.Findings– Obese candidates were largely absent from the pool of candidates in both the primary and general elections. Overweight women, but not overweight men, were also underrepresented. Supporting our hypothesis that there is bias against overweight candidates, heavier candidates tended to receive lower vote share than their thinner counterparts, and the larger the size difference between the candidates, the larger the vote share discrepancy. The paper did not find a moderating effect for gender or high-information high vs low-information elections on the relationship between candidate size and vote share.Research limitations/implications– Further research is needed to understand the process by which obese candidates are culled from the candidate pool and the cognitions underlying the biases against overweight candidates.Social implications– Because of the bias against obese political candidates, as much as one-third of the adult US population are likely to be excluded or being elected to a major political office.Originality value– This study is the first to use election data to examine whether bias based on size extends to the electoral process.

Girth Augmentation of the Penis Using Flaps “Shaeer's Augmentation Phalloplasty”: The Superficial Circumflex Iliac Flap

Penile girth augmentation can be achieved by various techniques, among which are liposuction injection, synthetic grafts, and autologous grafts, with variable outcome, mostly related to viability and receptivity of the tissue used for augmentation. Flaps are considered superior to grafts considering their uninterrupted blood supply. The current work describes long-term experience with penile girth augmentation using the superficial circumflex iliac artery and vein (SCIAV) flap. SCIAV flap was used for penile girth augmentation in 40 candidates who followed up for a minimum of 18 months. The flap was mobilized from the groin region. The penis was pulled out of a peno-pubic incision. The flap was tunneled under the pubic region to emerge at the base of the penis and was sutured to the subcoronal area and on either sides of the spongiosum. Another session was required for either de-bulking of the oversized flap (four overweight candidates), flap pedicle (n = 6), or for donor site scar revision (n = 11). Gain in girth in centimeters was evaluated. Excluding dropouts (n = 8) and participants who had encountered de-bulking of the flap body (n = 4), 40 participants had a preoperative average flaccid girth (AFG) of 9.3 ± 1.1 cm. Immediately postoperative AFG was 14.9 ± 1.1 cm (P < 0.001). Postoperative AFG at the final follow-up visit (a minimum of 18 months) was 14.5 ± 1.1 cm (55.6% gain compared with baseline, P < 0.001). SCIAV flap is a reliable option for long-lasting and sizable penile girth augmentation. One-stage augmentation is more suited for non-obese candidates. A second session may be indicated in overweight candidates or for scar revision.

Can Television Change Anti‐Fat Attitudes and Behavior?1

This work investigated negative attitudes toward overweight people and whether anti‐fat attitudes and behavior could be reduced by media‐based empathy and classical conditioning interventions. Participants were first primed by an empathy‐evoking video of obese persons or a non‐weight‐related control video. Next, they viewed either a video portraying obese persons positively (e.g., as competent) or negatively (e.g., as clumsy). Participants completed outcome measures of implicit and explicit weight‐related attitudes and participated in a covert behavioral task (competence ratings of thin and overweight job applicants). Results confirm strong implicit and explicit anti‐fat bias across conditions, yet participants rated overweight job applicants more highly in most domains while disfavoring overweight candidates on a personal level. Overall, bias persisted despite video interventions, although surprisingly the negative (stereotypic) video was associated with somewhat reduced bias. Relationships among implicit bias, explicit bias, individual‐difference variables, and awareness of obesity as a social problem are explored and discussed.

Risk stratification of obesity as a coronary risk factor

We examined the extent of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factor clustering in overweight persons with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29 and an obesity BMI of ≥30 and the influence of this on the hazard of myocardial infarction and coronary mortality. A total of 1,309 men and 739 women aged 30 to 74 years, initially free of cardiovascular disease, comprised the overweight subject group, and 375 men and 356 women comprised the obese subject group at risk. The sample was derived from the original Framingham Study cohort at the 11th biennial examination, and their offspring at initial examination. During 16 years of follow-up of overweight subjects, 188 men and 44 women had CHD events, indicating an age-adjusted rate that was not much different from the slim subjects. In the obese subject group, 72 men and 37 women developed CHD, corresponding to age-adjusted risk ratios 1.48 times that of lean men, and 2.09 times that of lean women. Risk factors were categorized as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg, total cholesterol ≥240 mg/dl, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol <35 mg/dl for men and <40 mg/dl for women, heart rate >80 beats/min, history of smoking, history of type 2 diabetes, and electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy. Being overweight occurred in isolation of CHD risk factors in 22% of men and in 16.4% of women. Being obese occurred in isolation in only 12.8% of men and 9% of women. Clusters of ≥2 risk factors occurred in 56% of obese men and in 62.4% of obese women, a frequency substantially exceeding that in slim subjects. Compared with obese men without risk factors, those with ≥3 factors had a 2.07 age-adjusted relative risk of developing CHD, and obese women had a 10.9 relative risk (p <0.05). Being overweight and obese promotes clusters of CHD risk factors that greatly influence their impact. Global risk assessment can identify high-risk overweight candidates for CHD who most urgently need correction of associated risk factors, as well as sustained weight reduction.