The weight of stigma: Cortisol reactivity to manipulated weight stigma

Himmelstein, Mary S.; Belsky, Angela C. Incollingo; Tomiyama, A. Janet

doi:10.1002/oby.20959

Cited by 121 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…They show that experimental manipulations that aim to induce experiences of weight stigma lead to behavioral and physiological changes, including increased unhealthy eating (Incollingo Rodriguez, Heldreth, & Tomiyama, 2016) and cortisol secretion (Himmelstein, Incollingo, & Tomiyama, 2015), which in the long-term could promote physiological dysregulation.…”

Section: Perceived Weight and Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does Knowing Hurt? Perceiving Oneself as Overweight Predicts Future Physical Health and Well-Being

2017

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Self-identification as being 'overweight' may be associated with adverse health outcomes, yet prospective evidence examining this possibility is lacking. Over 7-years, we examined associations between perceived overweight and subsequent health in a sample of 3,582 US adults. Perceived overweight predicted longitudinal declines in subjective health (d =.22, p <.001), increases in depressive symptoms (d =.09, p < .05), and raised levels of physiological dysregulation (d =.24, p <.001) as gauged by clinical indicators of cardiovascular, inflammatory and metabolic functioning. These associations remained after controlling for a range of potential confounders and were observed irrespective of whether self-perceptions of overweight were accurate or inaccurate. The present research highlights the possibility that self-identification as overweight may act independently of body mass index to contribute to unhealthy profiles of physiological functioning and impaired health over time. These findings underscore the importance of evaluating whether weight feedback interventions may have unforeseen adverse consequences.

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Section: Perceived Weight and Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Importantly, the stress-induced physiological consequences of weight stigma are most pronounced among those who perceive themselves as heavy (Himmelstein et al, 2015).…”

Section: Perceived Weight and Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Knowing Hurt? Perceiving Oneself as Overweight Predicts Future Physical Health and Well-Being

2017

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“…Second, a qualitative study framed within SSPT identified being seen in a bathing suit by others as the most uncomfortable situation (Lamarche et al, 2012)-being in a bathing suit or increasing the level of body exposure has been an important aspect of manipulations designed to elicit body image concerns (Carron & Prapavessis, 1997;Gammage et al, 2004;Hart et al, 1989;Martin Ginis et al, 2012). Third, anticipation of this specific threat has been shown to elicit social physique anxiety and body shame responses (Cloudt et al, 2014;Lamarche et al, 2014), thus it is possible that actually exposing an individual to this threat would also elicit a cortisol response, similar to responses to a weight stigma situation (Himmelstein et al, 2015). Fourth, a skinfold assessment was originally used to validate a questionnaire measuring social physique anxiety (Hart et al, 1989).…”

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confidence: 99%

Psychological and Cortisol Responses to and Recovery From Exposure to a Body Image Threat

et al. 2016

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The majority of body image research has failed to measure what occurs beyond the immediate presentation of a body image threat, or after a body image threat is no longer present. This is particularly true for physiological outcomes. The present study examined psychological and cortisol responses to, and recovery from, a body composition assessment as a social-evaluative body image threat. Women ( N = 64) were randomized into either a control or threat group. Participants completed a measure of social physique anxiety and provided a sample of saliva (to assess cortisol) at baseline, and immediately following and 20 min following their condition. The threat group reported higher social physique anxiety following the threat in comparison with both baseline levels and recovery levels. Cortisol was higher immediately following the threat in comparison with baseline levels. Findings support the inclusion of a recovery time point in body image research to provide a more complete picture of the psychobiology of body image experiences.

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“…Women exposed to weight-based stigmatizing stimulus experienced an increase in cortisol secretion, regardless of their weight (Himmelstein, Incollingo & Tomiyama, 2015;Schvey, Puhl, & Brownell, 2014). In other words, women across a range of BMI levels, from thin to obese, demonstrate negative physiological responses to weight-based stigma; stress reactions to weight-based stigma related more strongly to the women's perceived weight status, rather than to their actual BMI measure.…”

Section: Fat-shaming Is Stressfulmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fitness and Fatness: The Conflation of Weight with Health, and the Consequences of Fat-Shaming

Spurkland¹

2016

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"By definition, of course, we believe the person with the stigma is not quite human. On this assumption we exercise varieties of discrimination, through which we effectively, if often unthinkingly, reduce his life chances." -Erving Goffman, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, 1963 FITNESS AND FATNESS 3 Research QuestionWhat is the relationship between fat-shaming/obesity stigma and health behaviors of overweight and obese people, specifically their disposition to physical activity and exercise? AbstractObesity is widely accepted as one of the major health crises facing the United States, and increasingly, the world. Labeled a disease by the American Medical Association, and frequently characterized as an epidemic, obesity is the target of high profile national health interventions, media campaigns, and a multi-billion dollar self-help industry. The message produced by public health agencies is that obesity is a killer, and that reducing weight is a beneficial and achievable goal generating many positive health outcomes. This paper presents two primary arguments that counter the prevailing attitudes towards obesity: that as a stand-alone measure, Body Mass Index (BMI) is a poor metric for gauging health status of individuals; and that current public health messaging, with its implication that being fat is an inherently unhealthy and undesirable state, is counterproductive to the intended goal of motivating the public to engage in exercise and healthy dietary habits. Via a literature review and a survey, I demonstrate that obesity stigma and fat-shaming create an environment that stimulates and perpetuates poor lifestyle choices, and subjects fat people to dangerous psychological and physiologic stress.I also provide data demonstrating that cardiovascular fitness is a more meaningful health measure than is BMI. It is my contention that public health messaging should stop focusing on weight, drop references to weight reduction as a meaningful health goal, and instead FITNESS AND FATNESS 4 focus on goals of increased cardiovascular health and the development of healthy dietary habits.Keywords: BMI, body mass index, obesity, stigma, fat-shaming, weight-bias, exercise, stress FITNESS AND FATNESS 5 The Case for StigmaAt the time of its 2010 publication Vital Signs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that over 72 million Americans were obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). The CDC reported strong associations between obesity and the leading causes of death worldwide, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers. They further cite poor mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life as additional potential consequences of obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Given disease status by a controversial vote of the American Medical Association in 2013 (AMA, 2013; Pollack, 2013), obesity is the target of high profile national public health interventions, media campaigns, and a 60 billion dollar U.S. weight loss industry (Th...

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The weight of stigma: Cortisol reactivity to manipulated weight stigma

Cited by 121 publications

References 37 publications

Does Knowing Hurt? Perceiving Oneself as Overweight Predicts Future Physical Health and Well-Being

Does Knowing Hurt? Perceiving Oneself as Overweight Predicts Future Physical Health and Well-Being

Psychological and Cortisol Responses to and Recovery From Exposure to a Body Image Threat

Fitness and Fatness: The Conflation of Weight with Health, and the Consequences of Fat-Shaming

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