Weight Stigma Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
The normalization of weight stigma, or discrimination and stereotyping based on weight, in daily life has significant negative impacts on the health of those who experience it. Along with psychological repercussions, it has been linked to weight gain, lower physical activity, and unhealthy eating habits. People who have experienced weight stigma are more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression, exercise less, and use food as a coping mechanism. Due to its negative impacts on health outcomes, weight stigma has even been shown to be a more effective predictor of health issues than weight or body mass index (BMI). The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly affected daily life, disrupting routines and resulting in severe stress, which, worsened by weight stigma, has resulted in increased susceptibility to adverse health behaviors in some people. By limiting access to important coping mechanisms including social support, the pandemic has isolated many, often forcing them to turn inwards to deal with their stress. In order to learn more about the effects of weight stigma on health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers led by Dr. Rebecca Puhl at the University of Connecticut investigated how experiencing weight stigma affected the likelihood of health consequences such as disordered eating, unhealthy exercise habits, and psychological distress.
Puhl’s team used participants from EAT 2010-2018, a longitudinal study that tracks changes in eating habits and health behaviors of young adults in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. The participant sample comprised of 375 females, 201 males, and 8 people who identified as nonbinary; the average age in the sample was 21.9 years (in 2018). The participants were asked to complete an online survey that assessed their stress level, binge eating habits, how often they ate to cope with stress, physical activity, and whether they experienced depressive symptoms during the initial months of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Puhl’s team used participants from EAT 2010-2018, a longitudinal study that tracks changes in eating habits and health behaviors of young adults in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. The participant sample comprised of 375 females, 201 males, and 8 people who identified as nonbinary; the average age in the sample was 21.9 years (in 2018). The participants were asked to complete an online survey that assessed their stress level, binge eating habits, how often they ate to cope with stress, physical activity, and whether they experienced depressive symptoms during the initial months of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Researchers found that socioeconomic status, not weight stigma, is a predictor of participation in physical activity. This implies that money and resources are some of the main factors influencing exercise levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image Source: sergio souza
The researchers found that experiencing weight stigma prior to the pandemic predicted higher levels of stress, maladaptive eating (binge eating and eating to cope), and depressive symptoms, even after accounting for BMI. Notably, in their investigation of the association of weight stigma with binge eating—which they defined as feeling unable to stop or control eating—they found that people who had been teased about their weight were almost three times more likely to engage in binge eating behaviors than people who had never experienced weight stigma. These findings are supported by an extensive body of work that ties stress and negative affect, both byproducts of weight stigma, to maladaptive eating habits. Puhl and the other researchers speculated that the pandemic-related elevation of stress levels, as well as increased solitary time, exacerbate the negative psychological effects of weight stigma, thus resulting in binge eating habits.
However, they did not observe a significant association between weight stigma and decreased physical activity during the pandemic: on average, people who experienced weight teasing did not engage in less exercise. Instead, socioeconomic status predicted physical activity levels, which suggests that regardless of weight stigma, access to resources such as a home gym or a personal trainer corresponds to higher levels of exercise during the pandemic.
Puhl’s team found that experiencing weight stigma strongly predicted increased levels of binge eating, the use of eating as a coping strategy, and psychological distress, illustrating the severity of the harmful impacts of weight stigma on health. Thus, their research not only provides insight into the dangers of weight stigma, but also sheds light on yet another negative consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall health.
However, they did not observe a significant association between weight stigma and decreased physical activity during the pandemic: on average, people who experienced weight teasing did not engage in less exercise. Instead, socioeconomic status predicted physical activity levels, which suggests that regardless of weight stigma, access to resources such as a home gym or a personal trainer corresponds to higher levels of exercise during the pandemic.
Puhl’s team found that experiencing weight stigma strongly predicted increased levels of binge eating, the use of eating as a coping strategy, and psychological distress, illustrating the severity of the harmful impacts of weight stigma on health. Thus, their research not only provides insight into the dangers of weight stigma, but also sheds light on yet another negative consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall health.
Featured Image Source: JESSICA TICOZZELLI
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