Weight bias is a common form of bias against people who appear to be overweight. Some people who struggle with weight may internalize the stigma against them by blaming and devaluing themselves for their weight. While weight "self-stigma" is known to be associated with poor mental and physical health, it's not clear who is most prone to it. A new study surveyed more than 18,000 adults who participated in a weight management program and found that participants who internalized weight bias were most likely to be younger, female, had a higher body mass index (BMI), and an earlier onset of weight loss. had their weight struggles. Participants who were dark or had a partner had lower internalization.
Research has shown that, in addition to the effects of BMI and depression, self-directed weight stigma is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. In this study, researchers surveyed adults to identify key characteristics and experiences of people who internalize weight bias.
Participants recalled when they experienced weight stigma from other people in their lives, how frequent and how shocking the experiences were, and who it was who called them names, turned them down or denied them an opportunity simply because of their weight. The results showed that nearly two-thirds of the participants reported experiencing weight stigma at least once in their lives, and nearly half reported experiencing these events when they were children or teenagers. The researchers examined the relationship between these experiences and levels of self-directed stigma.
Participants who reported experiencing weight stigma from others had higher levels of internalized weight bias than those who reported no experiences with weight stigma. Researchers say this is especially true for participants who suffered from weight-stigmatizing experiences early in life and continued to have these unpleasant experiences as adults. People who suffered from weight stigma from relatives or friends, or from those in their workplace, community, or healthcare setting also had more evidence of weight self-stigma compared with participants who did not have weight stigma from those sources.
