“Fat Shaming” – discriminating against people who are overweight or obese – has been shown to be “part of the obesity problem and not the solution”, according to experts.
A four-year study by University College London, UK, funded by Cancer Research UK, contradicts the belief that discriminating against overweight or obese people encourages weight loss – finding that people who reported experiencing weight discrimination gained more weight than those who did not.
The report, published in Obesity, examines data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
It asked people if they experienced day-to-day discrimination, such as being treated disrespectfully, receiving poor service in shops, and being harassed, that they could attribute to their weight.
Of the 2,944 eligible participants in the study, 5% reported weight discrimination, which ranged from less than 1% of those in the ‘normal weight’ category to 36% of those classified as ‘morbidly obese’. Men and women reported similar levels of weight discrimination.
“There is no justification for discriminating against people because of their weight,” says lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, a research associate at UCL’s epidemiology and public health. “Our results show that weight discrimination does not encourage weight loss, and suggest that it may even exacerbate weight gain.
“Previous studies have found that people who experience discrimination report comfort eating. Stress responses to discrimination can increase appetite, particularly for unhealthy, energy-dense food. Weight discrimination has also been shown to make people feel less confident about taking part in physical activity, so they tend to avoid it.”
Senior author Professor Jane Wardle, director of the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Centre at UCL, added: “Our study clearly shows that weight discrimination is part of the obesity problem and not the solution.”
She said that many obese patients have also reported being treated disrespectfully by doctors because of their weight.
“Everyone, including doctors, should stop blaming and shaming people for their weight and offer support, and where appropriate, treatment,” she added.
Because this was a population survey, the authors admit that it cannot conclude that the positive association observed between discrimination and weight gain is causal.
Discrimination was assessed two years after the initial weight measurements and two years before the final measurements, but all the analyses statistically controlled for initial weight and other potential influences.
Jackson S et al. Perceived weight discrimination and changes in weight, waist circumference, and weight status. Obesity, 11 September 2014.
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