Weight discrimination study fuels debate
Conclusion
This analysis of data collected as part of the large English Longitudinal Study of Ageing finds that people who reported experiencing discrimination as a result of their weight had a small gain in BMI and waist circumference over the study years, while those who didn’t had a small loss.
There are a few important limitations to bear in mind. Most importantly, this study could not determine whether the weight changes or the discrimination came first. And, finding an association between two factors does not prove that one has directly caused the other. The relationship between the two may be influenced by various confounding factors. The authors tried to take into account some of these, but there are still others that could be influencing the relationship (such as the person’s own psychological health and wellbeing).
As relatively few people reported weight discrimination, results were not reported or analysed separately by the type or source of the discrimination. Therefore, it is not possible to say what form the discrimination took or whether it came from health professionals or the wider population.
People’s perception of discrimination and the reasons for it may be influenced by their own feelings about their weight and body image. These feelings themselves could also be having a detrimental effect against them being able to lose weight. This does not mean that discrimination does not exist, or that it should not be addressed. Instead, both factors may n...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Mental health Food/diet Source Type: news
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