Weight stigma facilitates unhealthy eating and weight gain via fear of fat.

Wellman, Joseph D.; Araiza, Ashley M.; Newell, Ellen E.; McCoy, Shannon K.

doi:10.1037/sah0000088

Cited by 37 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Additionally, the more women perceived themselves to have higher body weight, the more calories they consumed when exposed to stigmatizing articles, compared to control participants (Major et al, 2014). Wellman, Araiza, Newell, and McCoy (2017) found that perceived weight stigma was positively associated with both emotional and rigid restraint eating, and that perceived weight stigma actually predicted weight gain over a 10-week period. Other studies have also identified weight stigma as a predictor of disordered eating (Ashmore et al, 2008; Piran & Thompson, 2008), emotional eating (Farrow & Tarrant, 2009; O’Brien et al, 2016; Wellman et al, 2017), and increased calorie consumption (Major et al, 2014; Schvey, Puhl, & Brownell, 2011).…”

Section: Weight Stigma and Eating Behaviormentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Wellman, Araiza, Newell, and McCoy (2017) found that perceived weight stigma was positively associated with both emotional and rigid restraint eating, and that perceived weight stigma actually predicted weight gain over a 10-week period. Other studies have also identified weight stigma as a predictor of disordered eating (Ashmore et al, 2008; Piran & Thompson, 2008), emotional eating (Farrow & Tarrant, 2009; O’Brien et al, 2016; Wellman et al, 2017), and increased calorie consumption (Major et al, 2014; Schvey, Puhl, & Brownell, 2011). Durso, Latner, and Hayashi (2012) also showed that experiences of discrimination among individuals with higher body weight predicted both emotional and binge eating.…”

Section: Weight Stigma and Eating Behaviormentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Similar items have been used in previous studies (see Wellman et al, 2017). Participants indicated on a scale of 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 7 ( strongly agree ) their level of agreement with the following statements regarding their experiences with weight stigma: “I feel like I am personally a victim of society because of my weight,” “I consider myself a person who is deprived of opportunities that are available to others because of my weight,” “I experience discrimination because of my weight,” “I personally have been a victim of weight discrimination,” and “I have felt that people have lower expectations of me because of my weight,” α = .89, M = 3.40, SD = 1.60 2 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, when weight discrimination was made salient, it was expected that perceived weight stigma would lead to decreased inhibitory control, which would subsequently lead to increased calories ordered on the food selection task, but that this relationship would not be observed for participants in the control condition. Although weight stigma has been associated with rigid eating and extreme dieting in previous studies, such attempts are often not successful, and have, ironically, been associated with weight gain over time (Wellman et al, 2017). Therefore, it was expected that weight stigma would lead to reduced control over eating-related behavior in the present study.…”

Section: The Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weight stigma predicts inhibitory control and food selection in response to the salience of weight discrimination

Araiza

Wellman

2017

Appetite

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Objective Fear and stigmatization are often used to motivate individuals with higher body weight to engage in healthy behaviors, but these strategies are sometimes counterproductive, leading to undesirable outcomes. In the present study, the impact of weight-based stigma on cognition (i.e., inhibitory control) and food selection (i.e., calories selected) was examined among individuals who consider themselves to be overweight. It was predicted that participants higher in perceived weight stigma would perform more poorly on an inhibitory control task and order more calories on a food selection task when they read about discrimination against individuals with higher weight versus discrimination against an out-group. Methods Participants completed online prescreen measures assessing whether they considered themselves to be overweight and their perceptions of weight stigma. Individuals who considered themselves to be overweight were invited into the laboratory to complete tasks that manipulated weight-based discrimination, then inhibitory control and food selection were measured. Results The higher participants were in perceived weight stigma, the more poorly they performed on the inhibitory control task and the more calories they ordered when they read about discrimination against individuals with higher body weight. These relationships were not observed when participants read about discrimination against an out-group. Conclusions The present findings provide evidence that perceptions of weight stigma are critical in understanding the impact of weight-based discrimination. Additionally, these results have theoretical and practical implications for both understanding and addressing the psychological and physical consequences of weight-based stigma.

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Section: Weight Stigma and Eating Behaviormentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Weight Stigma and Eating Behaviormentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Weight stigma predicts inhibitory control and food selection in response to the salience of weight discrimination

Araiza

Wellman

2017

Appetite

Self Cite

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“…Although societal standards promoting thinness contribute to a culture where weight stigma can impact individuals of any body weight, people with overweight/obesity experience weight stigma more frequently and intensely than their lower-weight counterparts [5]. Perceived weight stigma experiences have been linked to negative mental health outcomes like depression [6], reduced quality of life [7], and behaviors like binge eating and exercise avoidance [8,9], which are likely to impair both weight management and well-being [10]. Perceived weight discrimination also partially explains longitudinal associations between obesity and poor cardiometabolic health [11], suggesting that obesity-related health consequences are explained not only by the physical effects of greater body adiposity but also by the social stigma of obesity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing Lifetime and Daily Experiences of Weight Stigma among Sexual Minority Women with Overweight and Obesity: A Descriptive Study

Panza

Olson

Goldstein

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Sexual minority women are disproportionately impacted by obesity yet are underrepresented in weight stigma research. This Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) study is a secondary analysis that aimed to elucidate the frequency and contextual characteristics of perceived experiences of lifetime and momentary weight stigma among sexual minority women with overweight/obesity. Participants were 55 sexual minority women ages 18–60 with a body mass index ≥25 kg/m2. Perceived lifetime weight stigma events were assessed at baseline. For the subsequent five days, participants used a smartphone to complete five daily, random EMA prompts assessing the frequency/characteristics of perceived weight stigma events in daily life. All participants reported at least one lifetime weight stigma event. During the EMA period, participants reported 44 momentary weight stigma events (M = 0.80), with 24% of participants reporting at least one event. During most instances of weight stigma, women perceived the stigma’s cause to be their weight and another minority identity (e.g., sexual orientation). Findings showing high rates of perceived lifetime weight stigma in this sample and frequent co-occurrence of perceived weight stigma with stigma due to other marginalized identities in daily life underscore the need for future, larger studies investigating weight stigma through an intersectional lens in sexual minority women with overweight/obesity.

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Exposure to written content eliciting weight stigmatization: Neural responses in appetitive and food reward regions

Anguah,

Christ

2023

Obesity

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ObjectiveNeural activity in food reward‐ and appetite‐related regions was examined in response to high‐calorie (HC), low‐calorie, and non‐food pictures after exposure to written weight stigma (WS) content. Relationships with eating behavior (by Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire [TFEQ]), blood glucose, and subjective appetite were also explored.MethodsAdults with overweight and obesity were randomized to read either a WS (n = 20) or control (n = 20) article, and subsequently underwent brain scans while they rated pleasantness of food pictures. Fasting glucose, TFEQ, stigma experiences, and appetite were measured before reading the article, appetite after reading, and glucose and appetite again after scan.ResultsA priori region of interest analyses revealed significant group differences in activation to HC > low‐calorie food cues in the caudate and thalamus whereas exploratory whole‐brain analyses suggested significant differences in regions including left insula, left thalamus, left inferior temporal gyrus, right lingual gyrus, and bilateral middle occipital gyrus and superior parietal lobule (p < 0.005 uncorrected, k ≥ 200 m3). No significant relationships were observed between the pattern of activation and TFEQ, glucose, or subjective appetite in the WS group.ConclusionsExposure to WS was associated with increased responsiveness to HC food content in the dorsal striatum and thalamus in individuals with overweight and obesity.

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Weight stigma facilitates unhealthy eating and weight gain via fear of fat.

Abstract: Fear of fat may be one process through which perceptions of weight stigma lead to maladaptive eating behavior and weight gain. Understanding this important process may lead to more effective healthy weight interventions.

Cited by 37 publications

References 48 publications

Weight stigma predicts inhibitory control and food selection in response to the salience of weight discrimination

Weight stigma predicts inhibitory control and food selection in response to the salience of weight discrimination

Characterizing Lifetime and Daily Experiences of Weight Stigma among Sexual Minority Women with Overweight and Obesity: A Descriptive Study

Exposure to written content eliciting weight stigmatization: Neural responses in appetitive and food reward regions

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