The influence of anticipated weight stigma and weight bias internalization on eating, exercise, and quality of life among obese women

Obesity is not limited to physical health symptoms, but is also associated with psychosocial factors. Specifically, enacted weight stigma against the obese can have deleterious effects on other psychosocial factors like self-efficacy of exercise and eating healthily and lower quality of life. Specific types of stigma, weight bias internalization (believing stigmas presented) and anticipated stigma (expecting stigmatizing experiences to happen), may have their own effect on psychosocial factors associated with obesity. This research evaluates the impact of nuanced types of stigma on self-efficacy of exercise and healthy eating and quality of life. It also assesses whether nuanced types of stigma impact psychosocial variables above and beyond what enacted weight stigma does alone. Participants (n=44) from the Columbus community with a BMI between 25 and 35 had anthropometric measures taken (height, weight, waist) and then completed questionnaires pertaining to weight stigma, weight bias internalization, anticipated stigma, quality of life, and body shape. Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) was used to run Pearson correlations and regression analyses. Weight bias internalization, anticipated stigma, and enacted weight stigma are associated with lower self-efficacy of exercise and quality of life, but only weight bias internalization is associated with lower self-efficacy of eating. Also, weight bias internalization predicted quality of life outcomes above and beyond enacted weight stigma. The relationship between nuanced types of stigma with negative health outcomes, means it may not be enacted stigma alone that affects the overweight and obese, but also the internalization and anticipation of stigma. Also, with internalizing weight stigma predicting quality of life above and beyond enacted stigma, it becomes obvious that future interventions should not focus on enacted weight stigma alone, but should also discuss internalization and anticipation of stigma. Future research could study the relationship between these types of stigma in more complex ways, like path analyses.No embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog