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de Macêdo PFC, Nepomuceno CMM, Dos Santos NS, Queiroz VADO, Pereira EM, Leal LDC, Santos LADS, Nascimento LF, Martins PC, de Santana MLP. Weight stigma in the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review. J Eat Disord 2022; 10:44. [PMID: 35351201 PMCID: PMC8961493 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00563-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Weight stigma is a phenomenon associated with adverse behavioural and psychological consequences. Although experts suggest that its increase during the COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with worse health outcomes for people with obesity, a thorough analysis of the main findings and gaps is still needed when relating to this subject. OBJECTIVE We aim to answer three questions: (1) How does weight stigma manifest in the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) How can weight stigma affect people with overweight or obesity in times of COVID-19? (3) What are the perceptions and experiences of weight stigma during the pandemic in individuals who experience overweight or obesity? METHODS We conducted a scoping review of studies addressing weight stigma and the COVID-19 pandemic in electronic databases (Medline/PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, BVS/Lilacs, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and OpenGrey) published until 10th August 2021. All relevant studies were reviewed in full by two researchers. In addition, a narrative synthesis of the data was performed. RESULTS The results included 35 studies out of 8,090 records and identified 13 original research publications, 14 text and opinion papers, and 6 narrative reviews. The results revealed the presence of weight stigma in the media, healthcare settings, interpersonal relationships, and public campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evidence of increasing weight stigma in the COVID-19 outbreak is limited, though. Many weight discrimination consequences were described during this time, such as impairment in accessing healthcare, worst COVID-19 outcomes, and maladaptive eating. However, only maladaptive behaviours and decline in mental health outcomes were demonstrated empirically in all age groups. This effect occurred regardless of body mass index, but people with high body weight were more likely to experience weight stigma. For some people with obesity, weight stigma in the pandemic has made activities of daily routine difficult. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that weight stigma in the COVID-19 pandemic occurs in several settings; moreover, although weight discrimination impacts mental health, whether before or during the pandemic, this influence between the pandemic and pre-pandemic scenario is still unclear. Therefore, more research is required in this field while the pandemic lasts, especially with people with obesity. Overall, people with overweight or obesity are more vulnerable to weight stigma than individuals without overweight. In addition, weight stigma refers to discrimination or prejudice based on a person's weight and relates to several consequences, for instance, poor healthcare treatment and mental health problems. In the COVID-19 outbreak, these weight stigma effects tend to become even more critical because they may be associated with unfavourable COVID-19 outcomes and eating disorder risks. Thus, it is crucial to investigate how weight stigma occurs during the pandemic and its impact on health, mainly for the most affected people. We investigated 35 studies published between 2019 and 2021 to map and explore how weight stigma was manifested and the related consequences for people with overweight or obesity in the COVID-19 pandemic. Only about a third of them were quantitative or qualitative, limiting the evidence of weight stigma in the COVID-19 context. The available evidence suggests that weight stigma manifests in several settings such as media, healthcare, public campaigns, and is more common in people with excess weight. However, weight discrimination experiences before or during the pandemic were associated with adverse psychological and behavioural consequences across all age groups, regardless of body weight. For some people with obesity, for instance, weight stigma made it difficult to accomplish their activities of daily routine. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether weight stigma has increased in the pandemic, thus, more studies are required, especially about people with overweight or obesity.
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Roberts SB, Das SK, Sayer RD, Caldwell AE, Wyatt HR, Mehta TS, Gorczyca AM, Oslund JL, Peters JC, Friedman JE, Chiu CY, Greenway FL, Donnelly JE, Dao MC, Cuevas AG, Affuso O, Wilkinson LL, Thomas D, Al-Ozairi E, Yannakoulia M, Khazrai YM, Manalac RJ, Bachiashvili V, Hill JO. Technical report: an online international weight control registry to inform precision approaches to healthy weight management. Int J Obes (Lond) 2022; 46:1728-1733. [PMID: 35710944 PMCID: PMC9201790 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-022-01158-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Personalizing approaches to prevention and treatment of obesity will be a crucial aspect of precision health initiatives. However, in considering individual susceptibility to obesity, much remains to be learned about how to support healthy weight management in different population subgroups, environments and geographical locations. SUBJECTS/METHODS The International Weight Control Registry (IWCR) has been launched to facilitate a deeper and broader understanding of the spectrum of factors contributing to success and challenges in weight loss and weight loss maintenance in individuals and across population groups. The IWCR registry aims to recruit, enroll and follow a diverse cohort of adults with varying rates of success in weight management. Data collection methods include questionnaires of demographic variables, weight history, and behavioral, cultural, economic, psychological, and environmental domains. A subset of participants will provide objective measures of physical activity, weight, and body composition along with detailed reports of dietary intake. Lastly, participants will be able to provide qualitative information in an unstructured format on additional topics they feel are relevant, and environmental data will be obtained from public sources based on participant zip code. CONCLUSIONS The IWCR will be a resource for researchers to inform improvements in interventions for weight loss and weight loss maintenance in different countries, and to examine environmental and policy-level factors that affect weight management in different population groups. This large scale, multi-level approach aims to inform efforts to reduce the prevalence of obesity worldwide and its associated comorbidities and economic impacts. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT04907396 (clinicaltrials.gov) sponsor SB Roberts; Tufts University IRB #13075.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan B. Roberts
- grid.429997.80000 0004 1936 7531Energy Metabolism, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111 USA
| | - Sai Krupa Das
- grid.429997.80000 0004 1936 7531Energy Metabolism, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111 USA
| | - R. Drew Sayer
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA
| | - Ann E. Caldwell
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDivision of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Holly R. Wyatt
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA
| | - Tapan S. Mehta
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233 USA
| | - Anna M. Gorczyca
- grid.412016.00000 0001 2177 6375Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
| | - Jennifer L. Oslund
- grid.429997.80000 0004 1936 7531Energy Metabolism, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111 USA
| | - John C. Peters
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDivision of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - James E. Friedman
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA
| | - Chia-Ying Chiu
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233 USA
| | - Frank L. Greenway
- grid.410428.b0000 0001 0665 5823Clinical Trials Unit, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 USA
| | - Joseph E. Donnelly
- grid.412016.00000 0001 2177 6375Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
| | - Maria Carlota Dao
- grid.167436.10000 0001 2192 7145Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824 USA
| | - Adolfo G. Cuevas
- grid.429997.80000 0004 1936 7531Department of Community Health, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155 USA
| | - Olivia Affuso
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233 USA
| | - Larrell L. Wilkinson
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Human Studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233 USA
| | - Diana Thomas
- grid.419884.80000 0001 2287 2270Department of Mathematical Sciences, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996 USA
| | - Ebaa Al-Ozairi
- grid.452356.30000 0004 0518 1285Clinical Research Unit, Dasman Diabetes Institute, 15462 Kuwait City, Kuwait
| | - Mary Yannakoulia
- grid.15823.3d0000 0004 0622 2843Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, El. Venizelou 70, 176 71 Kallithea, Greece
| | - Yeganeh M. Khazrai
- grid.9657.d0000 0004 1757 5329Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 21, 00128 Roma, RM Italy
| | - Raoul J. Manalac
- grid.64337.350000 0001 0662 7451Bariatric & Metabolic Institute, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA USA
| | - Vasil Bachiashvili
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233 USA
| | - James O. Hill
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA
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