Internalized Weight Stigma: Prevalence and Association With Psychiatric Disorder Among Overweight and Obese Individuals

Almutairi, Bandar F; Alsaygh, Khaled; Altamimi, Mazen Mohammed; Alshammari, Abdulrahman S; Alsomali, Ahmed; Alanazi, Sultan Mohammed; Alzahrani, Saud M; Alsaad, Ameer S; Zacharakis, Georgios

doi:10.7759/cureus.18577

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…In addition, our results also show a pattern of sociodemographic characteristics among postpartum women in China who internalize weight bias. Similar to previous studies [ 33 , 35 , 41 , 42 ], our study found BMI to be positively associated with WBI. WBIS scores were higher in overweight (M = 30.57) and obese (M = 31.75) postpartum women compared to those who were underweight (M = 15.83) or normal weight (M = 23.30).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Our study included postpartum women in all BMI categories (range = 15.82–34.45 kg/m 2 ), whereas the US study included only two BMI categories of obese or overweight (range = 25.4–62 kg/m 2 ). A study conducted with 868 young adults in Saudi Arabia suggested that those with higher WBI levels were individuals with a higher BMI [ 35 ]. Although lower than the WBI average score in the above studies [ 20 ], the prevalence of a mean level WBI in our study (66.1%) was higher than the results of previous studies for all weight range populations (USA: 44–57%; Saudi Arabia: 46.4%) and higher than the prevalence observed in studies for overweight and obese groups (Saudi Arabia: 57%) compared to other adult populations [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 35 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study conducted with 868 young adults in Saudi Arabia suggested that those with higher WBI levels were individuals with a higher BMI [ 35 ]. Although lower than the WBI average score in the above studies [ 20 ], the prevalence of a mean level WBI in our study (66.1%) was higher than the results of previous studies for all weight range populations (USA: 44–57%; Saudi Arabia: 46.4%) and higher than the prevalence observed in studies for overweight and obese groups (Saudi Arabia: 57%) compared to other adult populations [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 35 ]. However, the prevalence of high levels of WBI was lower in our study than one in the United States of 3,504 adults with and without obesity (20%) [ 5 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Correlates of Weight Stigma among Postpartum Women in China

Min

Peng

Lommel

2022

IJERPH

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Weight stigma is linked to a variety of psychological and health problems. In the postpartum period, women may be more likely to experience weight-based discrimination because of their changing social roles, weight, and the new functions their bodies fulfill. However, few studies have explored the issue of postpartum women’s weight stigma. Thus, to investigate the prevalence and correlates of weight stigma for postpartum women in China, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 507 postpartum women. Results showed that almost one quarter (21.1%) of postpartum women claimed to have experienced perceived weight stigma (PWS). Two thirds (66.1%) scored at the mean and 14.8% at the highest levels of weight bias internalization (WBI). During the postnatal period, the conditions of those most likely to report experiences of weight-based discrimination included low income [b = −0.203, p = 0.004], occupation as a worker [b = 0.921, p = 0.017] or farmer [b = 0.826, p = 0.033], stress [b = 0.044, p = 0.035], depression [b = 0.057, p = 0.021], and higher WBIS [b = 0.018, p = 0.002]. In addition, postpartum women who lived alone [b = 7.511, p = 0.048], were overweight or obese [b = 5.443, p = 0.000], and had higher PWS [b = 0.897, p = 0.004] and anxiety symptoms [b = 0.219, p = 0.011] had higher levels of internalized weight stigma. Findings from this study provide a foundation to better understand characteristics of postpartum women in China who are at risk for weight stigma.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Correlates of Weight Stigma among Postpartum Women in China

Min

Peng

Lommel

2022

IJERPH

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“…A higher score in the WSSQ indicates a higher level of weight-related self-stigma. Moreover, a total score of the WSSQ 12 items larger than 41 can be viewed as a high level of WRSS [ 41 ]. The Chinese version of the WSSQ had excellent internal consistency in the current study (Cronbach’s α = 0.93) and previous research (Cronbach’s α = 0.88) [ 40 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Weight-Related Self-Stigma and Smartphone Addiction on Female University Students’ Physical Activity Levels

Saffari

Chen

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Physical inactivity is a common health problem in female college students, and factors such as weight self-stigma and smartphone addiction may negatively impact physical activity in this population. The aim of the current study was to investigate the associations between these variables and identify the moderating effects of smartphone addiction between weight stigma and physical activity. Using a cross-sectional study, information on the level of physical activity in the past week, weight-related self-stigma, and smartphone addiction, as well as demographics, were collected via an online survey from 391 female college students in Taiwan. Participants in two groups of moderate to high and low physical activity were compared using a zero-order bivariate correlation in terms of independent variables. A moderated mediation model using Model 14 in the Hayes’ PROCESS macro with 1000 bootstrapping resamples was applied to assess moderation effects. There were significant differences in terms of weight status, smartphone addiction, and weight stigma between active and inactive groups (p < 0.001). All independent variables except for age were positively correlated (0.14 < r < 0.45). Multivariate regression models indicated that weight status was associated with weight stigma (odds ratio [OR] = 9.13, p < 0.001; 95% CI = 6.90, 11.35). Weight status (OR = 0.47, p = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.23, 0.93), weight stigma (OR = 0.96, p = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.922, 0.997), and smartphone addiction (OR = 0.11, p = 0.003; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.47) were associated with physical activity. The moderating role of smartphone addiction on the association between weight stigma and physical activity was also identified (OR = 1.05, p = 0.049; 95% CI = 1.0001, 1.1004). The moderating effect of smartphone addiction on the association between weight stigma and physical activity suggests that designing interventions to address the negative impacts of both weight stigma and smartphone addiction may help to improve physical activity in female college students.

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“…WBI is related to depression, anxiety, body image, and self-esteem [4,18,19], and contributes to disordered eating in adults [17,[20][21][22][23] with any body weight status, including underweight/average weight, overweight, obese [24], and also in children [25]. Such disordered eating would result in increased risk of metabolic syndrome [18] and di culty maintaining a moderate weight [14,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing and validating a Japanese version of the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire

Nakamura

Asano

2022

Preprint

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Purpose: Weight bias internalization (WBI) is significantly associated with negative physiological and psychological consequences. Given its negative effects, appropriate measurement of WBI is required for weight management and mental and physical health in people with weight problems. One of the most reliable and frequently used questionnaires to assess WBI isthe Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ). However, a Japanese version of the WSSQ has not yet been developed. Thus, the current study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the WSSQ (WSSQ-J) and validate its psychometric properties in the Japanese context. Methods: A total of 1454 Japanese participants (age 34.44 ± 6.92; male = 498) completed an online survey for the WSSQ-J. The internal consistency of the WSSQ-J was estimated by calculating the Cronbach’s α. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then carried out to confirm that the factor structure of the WSSQ-J was the same as that of the subscales of the original WSSQ. Results: The WSSQ-J had a Cronbach’s α of 0.917, indicating good internal consistency. In CFA, the comparative fit index was 0.945, the root mean square error of approximation was 0.085, and the standardized root mean square residual was 0.040, indicating that the two-factor model showed satisfactory goodness-of-fit. Conclusion: This study replicated the original findings related to the WSSQ, showing that the WSSQ-J is a reliable WBI questionnaire consisting of two factors. Therefore, the WSSQ-J would be a reliable tool for assessing WBI among Japanese.

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Internalized Weight Stigma: Prevalence and Association With Psychiatric Disorder Among Overweight and Obese Individuals

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

Prevalence and Correlates of Weight Stigma among Postpartum Women in China

Prevalence and Correlates of Weight Stigma among Postpartum Women in China

Effects of Weight-Related Self-Stigma and Smartphone Addiction on Female University Students’ Physical Activity Levels

Developing and validating a Japanese version of the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire

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