Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Dec;26(12):1888-1892.
doi: 10.1002/oby.22283. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Prospective Evaluation of Internalized Weight Bias and Weight Change Among Successful Weight-Loss Maintainers

KayLoni L Olson  1   2 , Jason Lillis  1   2 , J Graham Thomas  1   2 , Rena R Wing  1   2
Affiliations

Prospective Evaluation of Internalized Weight Bias and Weight Change Among Successful Weight-Loss Maintainers

KayLoni L Olson et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Internalized weight bias (IWB) has been associated with weight regain after intentional weight loss, but reliance on cross-sectional data limits the understanding of this relationship. This study prospectively evaluated IWB as a predictor of weight change in a longitudinal observational study of successful weight-loss maintainers.

Methods: National Weight Control Registry participants (maintained 13.6-kg weight loss for ≥ 1 y) were asked to complete an online questionnaire including current weight and Weight Bias Internalization Scale-Modified (WBIS-M) at baseline and 12 months.

Results: At baseline, 1,250 of 1,643 eligible individuals completed the baseline assessment (71% female; 94% white; mean age ± SD: 52 y ± 13.1; BMI: 27 ± 5.5). The average WBIS-M score was 3.0 (± 1.3). Study completers (n = 862) reported 2.2% (± 7.8%) weight gain. Higher baseline IWB predicted weight gain among men (n = 254; t = -2.28; P = 0.02) but not women (n = 608; t = 1.22; P = 0.22). A one-point reduction in WBIS-M score at follow-up was associated with a 3.0% weight loss.

Conclusions: Among weight-loss maintainers, IWB may be a risk factor for weight gain among men. Weight loss at follow-up was associated with reduced IWB in both men and women. Reliance on female-only samples may limit our understanding of IWB and its implications for weight control.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of data collection from baseline to follow-up with documentation of exclusion at each time point.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Puhl RM, Brownell KD. Confronting and coping with weight stigma: an investigation of overweight and obese adults. Obesity. 2006;14(10):1802–1815. - PubMed
    1. Flegal KM, Kruszon-Moran D, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Trends in obesity among adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014. JAMA. 2016;315(21):2284–2291. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Friedman K, Ashmore J, Applegate K. Recent experiences of weight-based stigmatization in a weight loss surgery population: Psychological and behavioral correlates. Obesity. 2008;16:s69–s74. doi: 10.1038/oby.2008.457. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Myers A, Rosen JC. Obesity stigmatization and coping: relation to mental health symptoms, body image, and self-esteem. Int J Obes. 1999;23(3):221. - PubMed
    1. Puhl R, Suh Y. Health consequences of weight stigma: implications for obesity prevention and treatment. Curr Obes Rep. 2015;4(2):182–190. - PubMed

Publication types