Correlates of Weight Bias in Adults From the NutriNet-Santé Study

Olivia Branche (1) , Camille Buscail (1) , Sandrine Péneau (1) , Julia Baudry (1) , Christine Poitou (2) , Jean-Michel Oppert (1, 3) , Sébastien Czernichow (4) , Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot (1) , Mathilde Touvier (5, 6) , Chantal Julia (1, 7) , Alice Bellicha (1)

1 EREN [CRESS - U1153 / UMR_A 1125] - Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team | Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle
2 Nutriomics - Nutrition et obésités: approches systémiques (UMR-S 1269)
3 CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière [AP-HP]
4 HEGP - Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou [APHP]
5 CRESS (U1153 / UMR_A 1125) - Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics | Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistiques
6 Li2P - Physiopathologie, cibles et thérapies de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde
7 AP-HP - Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP)

Introduction: Explicit weight bias (EWB) is an underlying cause of weight stigma but its associations with individual characteristics are not well known. This study aimed to assess EWB in French adults and to explore associations with weight status and sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: Adults from the NutriNet-Santé cross-sectional study (France, 2020, n=33948, 52% women after weighting procedures) completed the Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire assessing three dimensions: Dislike (antipathy towards people with obesity), Fear of fat (concerns about body weight) and Willpower (belief in weight controllability). Associations with weight status and sociodemographic characteristics were examined using multi-variable ANCOVA models in 2022. Results: Fear of fat and Willpower scores were higher than Dislike scores (mean [SD]: 4.0 [2.0], 3.3 [1.7] and 1.9 [1.3], respectively). Fear of fat was higher among women, whereas Dislike and Willpower were higher among men (all P<0.0001). Obesity was associated with greater Fear of fat scores (P<0.0001, mean difference vs. normal-weight participants [95% CI]: 0.35 [0.24;0.46] in women, 0.36 [0.17;0.56] in men), lower Dislike scores (-0.38 [-0.45;-0.32] in women, -0.43 [-0.56;-0.30] in men) and lower Willpower scores (-1.00 [-0.18;-0.90] in women, -0.40 [-0.57;-0.23] in men). In both genders, lower income was associated with lower Dislike, Fear of fat and Willpower scores (all P<0.0001), and lower education with greater Fear of fat and Willpower scores (all P<0.0001). Conclusions: EWB was driven by the fear of gaining weight and the belief in weight controllability. This study provides new insights into which population subgroups should be targeted by interventions aimed at reducing EWB.

Domaines: Alimentation et Nutrition

Olivia Branche, Camille Buscail, Sandrine Péneau, Julia Baudry, Christine Poitou, et al.. Correlates of Weight Bias in Adults From the NutriNet-Santé Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2023, 65 (2), pp.201-212. ⟨10.1016/j.amepre.2023.02.012⟩. ⟨hal-04397429⟩