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Cited by 54Obesity and Health PracticesObesity, Physical Activity, DietEating Disorders and Behaviors

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Perceived weight discrimination in England: a population-based study of adults aged ⩾50 years

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Jackson, S E, Steptoe, A, Beeken, R J, Croker, H, Wardle, J·2015·International Journal of Obesity
DOI 10.1038/ijo.2014.186PMC PMC4309989
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite a wealth of experimental studies on weight bias, little is known about weight discrimination at the population level. This study examined the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of perceived weight discrimination in a large population-based sample of older adults. METHODS: Data were from 5307 adults in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing; a population-based cohort of men and women aged ⩾50 years. Weight discrimination was reported for five domains (less respect/courtesy; treated as less clever; poorer treatment in medical settings; poorer service in restaurants/stores; threatened/harassed) at wave 5 (2010-2011). Height and weight were measured at wave 4 (2008-2009). We used logistic regression to test the odds of weight discrimination in relation to weight status, age, sex, wealth, education and marital status. RESULTS: Perceived weight discrimination in any domain was reported by 4.6% of participants, ranging from 0.8% in the normal-weight participants through 0.9, 6.7, 24.2 and 35.1% in individuals who were overweight or met criteria for class I, II and III obesity. Overall, and in each situation, odds of perceived weight discrimination were higher in younger and less wealthy individuals. There was no interaction between weight status and any socio-demographic variable. Relative to normal-weight participants, odds ratios for any perceived weight discrimination were 1.13 (95% confidence interval 0.53-2.40) in those who were overweight, 8.86 (4.65-16.88) in those with class I obesity, 35.06 (18.30-67.16) in class II obese and 56.43 (27.72-114.87) in class III obese. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that rates of perceived weight discrimination are comparatively low in individuals who are overweight or have class I obesity, but for those with class II/III obesity, >10% had experienced discrimination in each domain, and >20% had been treated with less respect or courtesy. These findings have implications for public policy and highlight the need for effective interventions to promote equality.

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  • Weight stigma, rather than obesity itself, may be particularly harmful to mental health and is associated with depressive symptoms, higher anxiety levels, lower self-esteem, social isolation, perceived stress, substance use, unhealthy eating and weight-control behaviors such as binge eating and emotional overeating.

    “Weight stigma, rather than obesity itself, may be particularly harmful to mental health and is associated with depressive symptoms, higher anxiety levels, lower self-esteem, social isolation, perceived stress, substance use24–26, unhealthy eating and weight-control behaviors, such as binge eating and emotional overeating27.”

    From Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity (2020) · cites this paper as [26]

    The Discussion (page not specified) associates weight discrimination with poorer wellbeing, depression, lower self-esteem, and problematic eating. It does not establish that stigma is more harmful to mental health than obesity itself, or address the claimed associations with anxiety, social isolation, perceived stress, or substance use. The specific eating-behavior examples are attached to a separate citation in the citing sentence. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Metadata

Authors
Jackson, S. E., Steptoe, A., Beeken, R. J., Croker, H., & Wardle, J.
Affiliations
University College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Jackson, S E
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Obesity
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2014-10-20
Volume
39
Issue
5
Pages
858-864
ISSN
  • 0307-0565 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-5497
DOI
10.1038/ijo.2014.186
PMC
PMC4309989
OpenAlex
W2053842599
Cited by
54
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4
FWCI
4.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Obesity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Government of the United Kingdom
  • Cancer Research UK (A14133, 14133)
  • British Heart Foundation (2RO1AG7644-01A1, 2RO1AG017644)
  • National Institute on Aging (2RO1AG7644, 2RO1AG764401A1 and 2RO1AG017644, 2RO1AG7644–01A1, 2R01AG7644-01A1, R01AG017644)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity and Health Practices
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
Keywords
weight discrimination, weight bias, older adults, obesity, overweight, class II obesity, morbid obesity, weight status, sociodemographic correlates, health disparities, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Aged, Educational Status, England, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Severity of Illness Index, Sex Factors, Social Class, Social Perception, Prevalence, Logistic Models, Odds Ratio, Age Distribution, Sex Distribution, White People, Overweight, Social Discrimination

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