The Effect of a Food Addiction Explanation Model for Weight Control and Obesity on Weight Stigma
Open accessAbstract
There is increasing scientific and public support for the notion that some foods may be addictive, and that poor weight control and obesity may, for some people, stem from having a food addiction. However, it remains unclear how a food addiction model (FAM) explanation for obesity and weight control will affect weight stigma. In two experiments (N = 530 and N = 690), we tested the effect of a food addiction explanation for obesity and weight control on weight stigma. In Experiment 1, participants who received a FAM explanation for weight control and obesity reported lower weight stigma scores (e.g., less dislike of ‘fat people’, and lower personal willpower blame) than those receiving an explanation emphasizing diet and exercise (F(4,525) = 7.675, p = 0.006; and F(4,525) = 5.393, p = 0.021, respectively). In Experiment 2, there was a significant group difference for the dislike of ‘fat people’ stigma measure (F(5,684) = 5.157, p = 0.006), but not for personal willpower weight stigma (F(5,684) = 0.217, p = 0.81). Participants receiving the diet and exercise explanation had greater dislike of ‘fat people’ than those in the FAM explanation and control group (p values < 0.05), with no difference between the FAM and control groups (p > 0.05). The FAM explanation for weight control and obesity did not increase weight stigma and resulted in lower stigma than the diet and exercise explanation that attributes obesity to personal control. The results highlight the importance of health messaging about the causes of obesity and the need for communications that do not exacerbate weight stigma.
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The FA explanation for weight control has been shown to decrease weight stigma among groups.
“While the FA explanation for weight control has been shown to decrease weight stigma among groups [212,213] it has been suggested that FA can increase internalized weight stigma among individuals [214].”
From Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity: Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications (2020) · cites this paper as [213]
The FA model explanation for obesity resulted in lower stigma than the traditional diet and exercise explanation that attributes obesity to personal responsibility.
“A recent study showed that the FA model explanation for obesity resulted in lower stigma than the traditional “diet and exercise” explanation that attributes obesity to personal responsibility [213].”
From Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity: Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications (2020) · cites this paper as [213]
Other studies show that the food addiction explanation reduces weight stigma.
“other studies show that the FA explanation reduces weight stigma [26,27].”
From Separating the Signal from the Noise: How Psychiatric Diagnoses Can Help Discern Food Addiction from Dietary Restraint (2020) · cites this paper as [26]
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- Authors
- O’Brien, K. S., Puhl, R. M., Latner, J. D., Lynott, D., Reid, J. D., Vakhitova, Z., Hunter, J. A., Scarf, D., Jeanes, R., Bouguettaya, A., & Carter, A.
- Affiliations
- Monash University (AU)
- University of Connecticut (US)
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
- Lancaster University (GB)
- University of Otago (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- O’Brien, Kerry S.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nutrients
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2020-01-22
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 294
- ISSN
- 2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7071011
- OpenAlex
- W3001389452
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 8.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- dx.doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (acceptedVersion)
- Maynooth University ePrints and eTheses Archive (Maynooth University) (acceptedVersion)
- Monash University Research Portal (Monash University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Own your potential (DEAKIN) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Obesity and Health Practices
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- food addiction, weight stigma, obesity, weight management, health messaging, stigma reduction, health communication
- MeSH terms
- Food Addiction, Adolescent, Adult, Body Weight, Diet, Female, Humans, Male, Obesity, Exercise, Young Adult, Social Stigma
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