‘Just Bloody Fat!’: A Qualitative Study of Body Image, Self-Esteem and Coping in Obese Adults

Felt stigma and obesity: Introducing the generalized other

“…The growing qualitative research on obesity indicates a tendency to reduce analytical approaches and procedures to categorization of interviews' content (De Souza and Ciclitira, 2005;Gailey, 2012;Greener et al, 2010;Lewis et al, 2011;Thomas et al, 2010;Wills et al, 2006). Granted, semistructured interviews offer quick answers to research questions, for they enable researchers to concentrate on specific topics while interviewees themselves structure the conversationdone reason why the interview method was used in our study.…”

“…They have documented evidence of negative attitudes toward people who are classified as fat in modern society (Puhl and Brownell, 2001;Puhl and Heuer, 2009), including workplaces (O'Brien et al, 2008), medical settings (Schwartz et al, 2003), families (Puhl et al, 2008), and the media (Rich, 2011). Further research has concentrated on subjective experiences and how individuals perceive and respond to the fat stigma in their daily lives (Brewis et al, 2011;Degher and Hughes, 1999;De Souza and Ciclitira, 2005;Kwan, 2010;Lewis et al, 2011;Thomas et al, 2010;Wills et al, 2006). This latter body of literaturedsome of it based on differentiations between types of stigma (Scambler and Hopkins, 1986), some on differentiations between types of discrimination (Link and Phelan, 2001)dhas identified various forms of stigmas that have been experienced.…”

“…They are not just "victims." They reduce distress and discomfort through various forms of stigma management ranging from indifference to participation in the size-acceptance movement (Cordell and Ronai, 1999;Drew, 2011;Gailey, 2012;Greener et al, 2010;Lewis et al, 2011;Brownell, 2003, 2006;Thomas et al, 2010;Throsby, 2007). Most studies in this field suggest stigmareduction strategies such as prohibiting weight discrimination, sensitizing medical staff and professionals to processes of stigmatization, increasing education about obesity, or informing stigmatized persons about stigma-management practices.…”

“…The fat stigma has been a major field of research because it causes individuals to develop conditions such as stigma-related depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and psychological stress (Friedman et al, 2005;Thomas et al, 2010). These injuries curb the willingness to engage with public health messages about obesity (Greener et al, 2010;Lewis et al, 2011).…”

Weight Bias and the Training of Health Professionals to Better Manage Obesity: What Do We Know and What Should We Do?

“…In the UK, for example, there have been a series of qualitative studies led by Ogden [24,25] and by Brown [26][27][28][29][30] with data collected from interviews with patients and healthcare professionals. There have also been similar and community based studies in Australia [31][32][33], USA [34][35][36] and elsewhere [37][38][39][40]. A recent development has been in the synthesis of findings from across qualitative studies to draw out overarching themes about obesity experiences […”