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Weight bias among Canadians: Associations with sociodemographics, BMI and body image constructs

Authors: Côté MForouhar VEdache IYAlberga AS


Affiliations

1 Département des fondements et pratiques en éducation, Faculté des sciences de l'éducation, Université Laval, Canada; Centre Nutrition, santé et société (NUTRISS), INAF, Université Laval, Canada. Electronic address: marilou.cote.2@ulaval.ca.
2 Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St West, Montreal, QC, H4B1R6, Canada. Electronic address: vida.forouhar@concordia.ca.
3 School of Population and Public Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T1Z3. Electronic address: iyoma.edache@ubc.ca.
4 Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St West, Montreal, QC, H4B1R6, Canada. Electronic address: angela.alberga@concordia.ca.

Description

This cross-sectional study examined the associations between sociodemographic characteristics, BMI, and body image constructs (body satisfaction and weight bias internalization; WBI) and explicit weight bias. A near-representative sample of 995 English-speaking Canadian adults (52% Female) completed a survey which assessed explicit weight bias (Anti-Fat Attitudes questionnaire), body satisfaction (Body Shape Satisfaction Scale), WBI (Modified Weight Bias Internalization Scale), and self-reported height and weight. Multiple linear regression analyses were run. Results showed that the variable that explained the most variance in explicit weight bias was WBI, followed by BMI. Higher levels of WBI and a lower BMI were both significantly associated with greater explicit weight bias. Male sex was associated with both disliking people with obesity and thinking obesity is attributable to lack of willpower, whereas female sex was associated with worrying about weight gain. The current findings emphasize the importance of future research efforts aimed at preventing or mitigating WBI to reduce negative attitudes about people with obesity.


Keywords: Anti-Fat attitudesBody dissatisfactionBody weightObesityWeight bias internalizationWeight stigma


Links

PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38964079/

DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117061