Shaming individuals for being overweight can cause people to become or stay obese

By Irada Yunusova

Some people believe that the best way to tackle obesity is by making people feel guilty about their weight. However, recent studies indicate that "fat shaming" may cause more harm than good. Shaming individuals for being overweight can actually cause them to become or stay obese.

Weight discrimination and other methods that make overweight individuals feel bad about their bodies have been utilized to combat obesity. Many individuals say cruel things towards overweight individuals and do not feel as though they have done anything wrong, claiming they were doing it in the best interest of the person's health. In 2011, a public health campaign used advertisements depicting sad-looking kids with slogans like, "Big bones didn't make me this way. Big meals did." However, advertisements such as this are hurtful and research shows that it is not possible to scare or guilt people into being skinny.

A new report recently published in the journal PLoS ONE states that making an overweight or obese individual feel bad about his or her body does not motivate them to lose weight, but instead causes them to gain weight. Researchers followed 6,157 Americans of various weights from 2006 to 2010. They found that overweight people who reported experiencing weight discrimination were more than twice as likely to become obese in 2010. Individuals who were obese in 2006 were three times more likely to remain obese in 2010 if they experienced weight discrimination. It is apparent that weight discrimination has a negative impact on people's weights.

Why exactly does "fat shaming" effect people badly? Stigmatizing overweight people leads to psychological factors that are likely to contribute to weight gain, including depression and binge eating. Stigma and discrimination are stressors, and people often respond to stressors by eating. It is also possible that similar to a self-fulfilling prophecy, obese individuals internalize negative feelings, and then act accordingly.

Whether or not people say harsh things to actually help obese individuals, research indicates that "fat shaming" is counterproductive. Weight discrimination has a negative mental and physical outcome on an overweight individual's health. Instead of trying to guilt people into losing weight, it is important to alter the public's approach to diet, exercise, and health policies.

Reference: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/fat-shaming-actually-increases-risk-becoming-or-staying-obese-new-8C10751491