Childhood Obesity Triples Odds Of Weight Discrimination

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 9, 2025 — Childhood obesity nearly triples a person’s risk for experiencing discrimination or stigma based on their weight, a new study says.

Severe obesity before age 18 increased a person’s odds of experiencing weight stigma by 2.8 times, researchers reported recently in the International Journal of Obesity.

Weight stigma is marked by negative or discriminatory actions related to a person’s body weight or size, researchers said in background notes.

“Experienced weight stigma is definitely not about hurt feelings,” said senior researcher Dr. Jaime Almandoz, an associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

“It’s a real public health issue that impacts mental health, physical health and access to care,” Almandoz said in a news release. “Recognizing and addressing weight stigma needs to be part of routine obesity care.”

About 42% of U.S. adults 20 and older are obese, and more than 40% adults report experiencing weight stigma at some point in their lives, researchers said in background notes.

Further, the number of children with obesity in the U.S. continues to rise, with about 1 in 5 teens currently living with the condition, researchers said.

To see whether age influences their risk of weight stigma, researchers surveyed 686 adults receiving care at UT Southwestern’s Weight Wellness Program between 2021 and 2023.

Participants had an average age of 56, and about 62% had severe obesity with their body mass index (BMI) 40 or greater. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight.

About 23% of participants said they were obese by age 18, including more than 6% who said they were severely obese.

Childhood obesity increased the odds that they would be stigmatized for their weight, being treated disrespectfully or socially rejected, researchers found.

The most common stigmatizing situations involved doctors recommending a diet even if the person’s visit wasn’t related to their weight, and people assuming that patients overeat or binge eat due to their weight, researchers said.

“Early onset of obesity can have lasting psychological and social consequences,” Almandoz said.

The researchers recommend screening for weight stigma as a regular part of obesity care.

Sources

  • UT Southwestern Medical Center, news release, May 1, 2025

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-05-10 00:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords