Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Predicting anti-fat attitudes: individual differences based on actual and perceived body size, weight importance, entity mindset, and ethnicity

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relative impact of actual and perceived weight, weight importance, entity mindset, and ethnicity on anti-fat attitudes as well as to examine whether certain variables play the role of mediator. Participants included a multiethnic U.S. sample of 923 female undergraduates who completed a series of measures online. Lower BMI, higher perceived weight, higher importance of weight, endorsement of an entity mindset, and identification as White as compared to Black, Hispanic, or Asian predicted higher overall anti-fat attitudes. Examination of the individual Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire subscales (i.e. dislike, fear of fat, and willpower) using Relative Weight Analysis suggested that weight importance is an important predictor of multiple aspects of anti-fat attitudes. In addition, weight importance mediated the relationship between perceived weight and fear of fat as well as the relationship between ethnicity and dislike. Implications of findings and future research directions are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Puhl RM, Heuer CA (2010) Obesity stigma: Important considerations for public health. Am J Public Health 100:1019–1028. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.159491

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Andreyeva T, Puhl RM, Brownell KD (2008) Changes in perceived weight discrimination among Americans, 1995–1996 through 2004–2006. Obes 16:1129–1134. doi:10.1038/ijo.2008.22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Vartanian LR, Pinkus RT, Smyth JM (2014) The phenomenology of weight stigma in everyday life. J Contextual Behav Sci http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2014.01.003i

  4. Greenleaf C, Petrie TA, Martin SB (2014) Relationship of weight-based teasing and adolescents’ psychological well-being and physical health. J School Health 84:49–55. doi:10.1111/josh.12118

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Puhl R, Latner J (2008) Weight bias: new science on an significant social problem. Obes 16:S1–S2. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Crandall CS (1994) Prejudice against fat people: ideology and self-interest. J Pers Soc Psychol 66:882–894. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.66.5.882

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Wang SS, Brownell KD, Wadden TA (2006) The influence of the stigma of obesity on overweight individuals. Int J Obes 28:1333–1337. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802730

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Bessenoff GR, Sherman JW (2000) Automatic and controlled components of prejudice toward fat people: evaluation versus stereotype activation. Soc Cogn 18:329–353. doi:10.1521/soco.2000.18.4.329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Greenleaf C, Starks M, Gomez L, Chambliss H, Martin S (2004) Weight-related words associated with figure silhouettes. Body Image 1:373–384. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2004.10.004

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Morrison TG, O’Connor WE (1999) Psychometric properties of a scale measuring negative attitudes toward overweight individuals. J Soc Psychol 139:436–445. doi:10.1080/00224549909598403

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Rich SS, Essery E, Sanborn CF, DiMarco N, Morales L, LeClere S (2008) Predictors of body size stigmatization in Hispanic preschool children. Obes 16:S11–S17. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Brochu PM, Morrison MA (2007) Implicit and explicit prejudice toward overweight and average-weight men and women: testing their correspondence and relation to behavioral intentions. J Soc Psychol 147(6):681–706. doi:10.3200/SOCP.147.6.681-706

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. O’Brien KS, Latner JD, Ebneter D, Hunter JA (2013) Obesity discrimination: the role of physical appearance, personal ideology, and anti-fat prejudice. Int J Obes 37:455–460. doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Holub SC (2008) Individual differences in the anti-fat attitudes of preschool children: the importance of perceived body size. Body Image 5:317–321. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.03.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Wang SS, Brownell KD, Wadden TA (2004) The influence of the stigma of obesity on overweight individuals. Int J Obes 28:1333–1337. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802730

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Schwartz MB, Vartanian LR, Nosek BA, Brownell KD (2006) The influence of one’s own body weight on implicit and explicit anti-fat beliefs. Obes 14: 440–447. Retrieved from http://yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/bias/The-Influence-of-Ones-Own-Body-Weight.pdf

  17. McCabe MP, Ricciardeli LA, Sitaram G, Mikhail K (2006) Accuracy of body size estimation: role of biopsychosocial variables. Body Image 3:163–171. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2006.01.004

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Herman KM, Hopman WM, Rosenberg MW (2013) Self-rated health and life satisfaction among Canadian adults: associations of perceived weight status versus BMI. Qual Life Res 22:2693–2705. doi:10.1007/s11136-013-0394-9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Roberts RE, Duong HT (2013) Perceived weight, not obesity, increases risk for major depression among adolescents. J Psychiatr Res 47:1110–1117. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2013.03.019

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Loth KA, MacLehose R, Bucchianeri M, Crow S, Neumark-Sztainer D (2014) Predictors of dieting and disordered eating behaviors from adolescence to young adulthood. J Adolesc Health. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.04.016

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. O’Brien KS, Hunter JA, Halberstadt J, Anderson J (2007) Body image and explicit and implicit anti-fat attitudes: the mediating role of physical appearance comparisons. Body Image 4:249–256. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.06.001

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. O’Brien KS, Caputi P, Minto R, Peoples G, Hooper C, Kell S, Sawley E (2009) Upward and downward physical appearance comparisons: development of scales and examination of predictive qualities. Body Image 6:201–206. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2009.03.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Lin L, Reid K (2009) The relationship between media exposure and antifat attitudes: the role of dysfunctional appearance beliefs. Body Image 6:52–55. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.09.001

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Levy S, Stroessner S, Dweck CS (1998) Stereotype formation and endorsement: the role of implicit theories. J Pers Soc Psychol 74:1421–1436. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.6.1421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Hong YY, Coleman J, Chan G, Wong RY, Chiu CY, Hansen IG, Lee SL, Tong YY, Fu HY (2004) Predicting intergroup bias: the interactive effects of implicit theory and social identity. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 30:1035–1047. doi:10.1177/0146167204264791

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Rattan A, Dweck CS (2010) Who confronts prejudice?: the role of implicit theories in the motivation to confront prejudice. Psychol Sci 21:952–959. doi:10.1177/0956797610374740

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Sorge J (2008) Integration of the stereotype content model and implicit theories: a dynamic understanding of stereotyping against obese individuals. Unpublished manuscript, University of Richmond. Retrieved from https://dspace.lasrworks.org/bitstream/handle/10349/672/08PSY-SorgeJenna.pdf?sequence=1

  28. O’Brien KS, Puhl RM, Latner JD, Mir AS, Hunter JA (2010) Reducing anti-fat prejudice in preservice health students: a randomized trial. Obes 18:2138–2144. doi:10.1037/t02008-0004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Hebl M, King EB, Perkins A (2009) Ethnic differences in the stigma of obesity: identification and engagement with a thin ideal. J Exp Soc Psychol 45:1165–1172. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2009.04.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Pepper AC, Ruiz SY (2007) Acculturation’s influence on antifat attitudes, body image, and eating behaviors. Eat Disord 15:427–447. doi:10.1080/10640260701667912

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Neumark-Sztainer D, Croll J, Story M, Hannan PJ, French SA, Perry C (2002) Ethnic/racial differences in weight-related concerns and behaviors among adolescent girls and boys: findings from Project EAT. J Psychosom Res 53:973–974. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00486-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Asia Pacific Cohort Study Collaboration (2007) Cholesterol, diabetes and major cardiovascular diseases in Asia Pacific region. Diabetol 50:2289–2297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Brewis AA, Wutich A, Falletta-Cowden A, Rodriguez-Soto I (2011) Body norms and fat stigma in global perspective. Curr Anthropol 52:269–276. doi:10.1086/659309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Nolan J, Murphy C, Barnes-Holmes D (2013) Implicit relational assessment procedure and body-weight bias: influence of gender of participants and targets. Psychol Rec 63:467–488. doi:10.11133/j.tpr.2013.63.3.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Robinson EL, Ball LE, Leveritt MD (2014) Obesity bias among health and non-health students attending an Australian university and their perceived obesity education. J Nutr Educ Behav 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2013.12.003

  36. Hebl MR, Heatherton TF (1998) Stigma of obesity: the differences are black and white. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 24:417–426. doi:10.1177/0146167298244008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. O’Brien KS, Daníelsdóttir S, Ólafsson RP, Hansdóttir I, Fridjónsdóttir TG, Jónsdóttir H (2013) The relationship between physical appearance concerns, disgust, and anti-fat prejudice. Body Image 10(4):619–623. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.07.012

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. McCracken M, Jiles R, Blanck HM (2007) Health behaviors of the young adult U.S. population: behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 2003. Prev Chronic Dis Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/apr/06_0090.htm

  39. Levy SR, Dweck CS. (1997). Implicit theory measures: reliability and validity data for adults and children. Unpublished manuscript, Columbia University, NY

  40. Heslin PA, Latham GP, VandeWalle D (2005) The effect of implicit person theory on performance appraisals. J Appl Psychol 90:842–856. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.90.5.842

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Larson N, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, van den Berg P, Hannan PJ (2011) Identifying correlates of young adults’ weight behavior: survey development. Am J Health Behav 35:712–725. doi:10.1037/t06908-000

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Tonidandel S, LeBreton JM (2014) A free comprehensive web-based and user-friendly tool for relative weight analyses. J Bus Psychol. doi:10.1007/s10869-014-9351-z

    Google Scholar 

  43. Baron RM, Kenny DA (1986) The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol 51:1173–1182. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Hayes AF, Preacher KJ (2013) Statistical mediation analysis with a multicategorical independent variable. Br J Math Stat Psychol. doi:10.1111/bmsp.12028

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Strauss RS (1999) Comparison of measured and self-reported weight and height in a cross-sectional sample of young adolescents. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 23(8):904–908

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX, USA

    Shannon Rich Scott & Lisa H. Rosen

Authors
  1. Shannon Rich Scott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lisa H. Rosen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shannon Rich Scott.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Scott, S.R., Rosen, L.H. Predicting anti-fat attitudes: individual differences based on actual and perceived body size, weight importance, entity mindset, and ethnicity. Eat Weight Disord 20, 179–186 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-014-0158-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-014-0158-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation