The effects of causal beliefs and binge eating on the stigmatization of obesity

Abstract

Behavior (binge eating) has important implications for understanding the stigmatization of obesity.

Obesity-related disability: key factors identified by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

“…Consistently with recent literature [14][15][16][17], impairments in emotional functions, even without a diagnosis of depression are reported together with impairments in body image and in energy and drive functions. Such findings support known evidences of a strong implications of emotional and psychological factors in obese patients' eating behaviours.…”

“…Obese patients' poor psychosocial functioning is deemed to produce a significant disability in handling stress [14]. Consistently with recent literature [14][15][16][17], impairments in emotional functions, even without a diagnosis of depression are reported together with impairments in body image and in energy and drive functions.…”

“…In most of previous studies, obese patients' environmental factors that were considered only as barriers and analysed under the umbrella term of 'obesogenic environment' [14,18,[21][22][23][24]. In our opinion, such an approach is limiting the possibility of detecting what kind of environmental factors play a positive role in determining patients' health status: this is particularly important since the same environmental factor might have a hindering role, but might also be a facilitator.…”

“…The latest seems to be one of the most outstanding psychological features of obese patients, together with eating disorders, negative body image, social isolation and difficulties in handling stress [14][15][16][17]. Social stigma and discrimination were frequently deemed to be the reasons of relational problems, jointly with personal characteristics such as guilt and shame [14,15,18].…”

“…However, only few contextual factors, that characterised what is defined as the 'obesogenic environment', e.g. food, built environment, inappropriate lifestyles, stigmatisation and prejudices, have been evaluated [14,18,[21][22][23][24]. A complete evaluation and description of obese patients' disability features should rather take into account both the level of person's functional impairments, that of limitations and restrictions in performing activities and in participation and the effect that facilitating or hindering environmental factors act in performing single activities [25].…”