Obesity

World Obesity Day 2018: A Spotlight on “Fat Shaming”

Obesity is a complex issue that only continues to escalate in the United States, with new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicating that 93.3 million Americans (nearly 40%) now live with obesity.1

 

The negative health effects of obesity are well-documented. The condition is known to be associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and a host of other health issues. However, research newly published on World Obesity Day 2018 is shining a light on a sometimes lesser-recognized effect of the US obesity epidemic: “fat shaming.”

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A study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago researchers has revealed that about one-third of Americans say that they or someone they know have experienced “fat shaming” —or the act of humiliating someone by making mocking or critical comments about their weight—within the last year.2

 

Being “fat shamed” could negatively affect the way individuals with obesity attempt to lose weight, explained obesity medicine specialist Christopher Still, DO, FACN, FACP, FTOS, director of the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, in a press release.3

 

“People are often reluctant to seek treatment beyond diet and exercise out of shame or embarrassment, so more effective treatments are left unexplored or are viewed more negatively,” said Dr Still. “This is particularly concerning when it comes to treating severe obesity, where diet and exercise alone have been proven to be largely ineffective over time,” he added.3

 

The study featured data from a survey administered by NORC to a nationally representative sample of 1059 randomly drawn US participants aged 18 years or older. A total of 842 surveys were completed online and 217 by phone between September 13 and 16, 2018.

 

Some key findings from the study:

 

  • 34% say they or someone they know were “fat shamed” in the last year.
  • 84% and 52% think that “fat shaming” is a serious and pervasive issue, respectively.
  • Nearly 6 in 10 Americans believe that “fat shaming” is most prevalent in media portrayals.
  • 29% and 37% believe “fat shaming” occurs in hiring decisions and social situations, respectively.
  • 93% support diet and exercise alone for severe obesity, while 55% support weight loss surgery.
  • 53% view obesity as a disease, while 46% consider it a lifestyle choice.
  • 80% report their opinion would remain unchanged if a friend or relative underwent weight loss surgery, but 17% say that it would improve their opinion.

 

More information about the study, which was sponsored by Ethicon, was published in Ethicon’s October 2018 issue brief.

 

—Christina Vogt

 

References:

 

1. Adult obesity facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Page last updated August 13, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html Accessed on October 11, 2018.

 

2. The stigma of obesity in America: New survey finds one-third of Americans say they or someone they know has been “fat shamed” in last year [Published online October 11, 2018]. Ethicon. https://www.ethicon.com/na/system/files/2018-10/Brief_Ethicon_Obesity_DTPv1r3%5B1%5D.pdf

 

3. New survey finds one-third of Americans say they or someone they know have been “fat shamed” in the past year [press release]. Cincinnati, OH. Ethicon. October 11, 2018. https://www.ethicon.com/na/about-us/news-events/new-survey-finds-one-third-americans-say-they-or-someone-they-know-have-been Accessed on October 11, 2018.