Weight discrimination, rather than motivating people to lose weight is more likely to make them become even more obese, researchers from the Florida State University College of Medicine reported in PLoS ONE.
Weight discrimination is common in the USA. Studies have demonstrated a link between weight discrimination and poor economic and psychological outcomes. However, very few studies have examined whether it might also have an impact on long-term body weight.
Angelina Sutin and Antonio Terracciano analyzed body weight data on more than 6,000 participants from 2006 to 2010.
Being exposed to weight discrimination in 2006 increased their risk of being even more obese by a factor of 2.5 when they were assessed again in 2010.
Obese participants who did not experience perceived discrimination in 2006 were much less likely to still be obese years later.
Other factors which can result in discrimination, such as race or sex, were not found to have the same effect on later body weight.
Weight discrimination encourages further weight gain
The effect of “weightism”, or weight discrimination, appears to occur independently of demographic factors, such as gender, education, ethnicity or age.
It seems that weight discrimination has other consequences for affected individuals, apart from poorer mental health outcomes.
The authors wrote:
“In addition to the well-known emotional and economic costs, our results suggest that weight discrimination also increases risk of obesity. This could lead to a vicious cycle where individuals who are overweight and obese are more vulnerable to weight discrimination, and this discrimination may contribute to subsequent obesity and difficulties with weight management.”
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that weight discrimination led to expanded waistlines in men.
Senior author, Haslyn E.R. Hunte, wrote “This study found that males who persistently experienced high levels of discrimination during a nine-year period were more likely to see their waist circumference increase by an inch compared to those who did not report discrimination. Females who reported similar experiences also saw their waistlines grow by more than half an inch. This shows how discrimination hurts people physically, and it’s a reminder how people’s unfair treatment of others can be very powerful.”