Food Addiction and Its Impact on Weight-Based Stigma and the Treatment of Obese Individuals in the U.S. and Australia

Abstract

It is argued that food addiction explanations of obesity may reduce the significant stigma levelled at obese and overweight individuals. We surveyed 479 adults to determine the prevalence of food addiction in the U.S. (n = 215) and, for the first time, in Australia (n = 264) using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). We also assessed the level of weight-based stigma in this population. The prevalence of food addiction in our Australian sample was 11%, similar to U.S. participants and consistent with previous studies. Those who met criteria for diagnosis had a larger mean BMI (33.8 kg/m2) than those who did not (26.5 kg/m2). Overall, the level of stigma towards others was low and differed significantly based on BMI, predominately among normal weight and obese participants (p = 0.0036). Obese individuals scored higher on certain measures of stigma, possibly reflecting individual experiences of stigma rather than negative attitudes towards other obese individuals (p = 0.0091). Despite significant support for a “food addiction” explanation of obesity, participants still valued personal responsibility in overcoming obesity and did not support coercive approaches to treat their “addiction”.

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

“…As it relates to the other measures of weight stigma, such as weight‐based stigma towards a fictional character, perceived weight‐related teasing and fat stereotypes, Lee, Hall, Lucke, Forlini, and Carter () found no significant associations between weight‐based stigma towards a fictional character and a diagnosis of food addiction among adults. No significant association between implicit self‐discrimination and eating disorders has been reported among adults (Rudolph & Hilbert, ).…”

Food addiction and associations with mental health symptoms: a systematic review with meta‐analysis

“…Other groups included bariatric weight-loss groups (n = 6) (15,22,37,56,61,65) , undergraduate/students (n = 7 studies) (5,35,68,71,74,80,81) and disordered eating groups (n = 7) (17,43,47,49,50,64,73) . Fifteen studies included a population group other than Caucasian; however, other population groups such as African American or Hispanic were often in the minority and constituted <35% of the total study population (5,8,22,24,34,35,39,41,44,47,48,55,58,60) . Fifty-two studies reported the weight status of the population group, with many doing so objectively through direct measures of height and weight (n = 20 studies).…”

“…Most studies were conducted in predominantly Caucasian populations. Fifteen studies included a population group other than Caucasian; however, other population groups such as African American or Hispanic were often in the minority and constituted <35% of the total study population (5,8,22,24,34,35,39,41,44,47,48,55,58,60) .…”

Food Addiction in Gambling Disorder: Frequency and Clinical Outcomes

“…Studies using obese samples have obtained point prevalence rates between 34% (Ceccarini et al, 2015) and 40% (Meule et al, 2014); for university student samples point-prevalence is around 11% (Obregón et al, 2015). Epidemiological research further shows, that FA is more prevalent in women (Fattore et al, 2014), middle-aged and older individuals (Bowen et al, 2014; Flint et al, 2014), overweight/obese patients (Meule, 2012; Pedram et al, 2013; Lee et al, 2014), and in people of Black or Hispanic ethnicity or low socioeconomic status (Berenson et al, 2015). …”