A daily diary assessment of female weight stigmatization

J Health Psychol. 2016 Feb;21(2):228-40. doi: 10.1177/1359105314525067. Epub 2014 Mar 18.

Abstract

Research focused on assessing weight stigmatization has typically been conducted using cross-sectional, retrospective designs. Such designs may impair the scientific understanding of this stigma by limiting participants' recall of frequencies and/or details about stigmatizing events. To address this, 50 overweight/obese women were recruited from public weight forums to complete week-long daily diaries. A total of 1077 weight-stigmatizing events were reported on the Stigmatizing Situations Inventory. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to investigate potential relationships between participant-level factors and reported stigmatization. Results indicate that body mass index, education, age, daily activities, and interpersonal interactions all may impact individuals' levels of stigmatization.

Keywords: daily diary; health behavior; obesity; stigma; weight.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Body Mass Index
  • Female
  • Health Behavior
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Obesity / psychology
  • Overweight / psychology*
  • Self Concept
  • Social Stigma*
  • Writing*