Weight stigma and physical activity avoidance among college-aged students

Abstract

This study explored cross-sectional associations between prior weight stigma experiences, physical activity (PA) intentions, behaviors, and the acute effects of a weight stigma exposure on PA intentions and behaviors among undergraduate students. Weight-stigma experiences and behavioral intentions were self-reported. Moderate-to-vigorous PA and total PA were assessed using accelerometry. Participants were randomized into two experimental conditions (a weight stigma or control condition) to assess the acute effects of a weight stigma exposure. Forty-nine students (81.6% female; 59.2% Non-Hispanic White; 19.6 ± 1.1 years of age; body mass index: 23.9 ± 4.0 kg/m²) completed the study. Prior weight stigma experiences were positively associated with PA avoidance (β = 12.1 ± 2.7; p < .001) but were not associated with positive PA intentions or behaviors (ps > .05). There were no differences in positive PA intentions, PA avoidance, or PA behaviors across conditions (all ps > .05). Future studies should examine the long-term effects of weight stigma on PA avoidance and objectively measured PA in young college students.

Keywords:

• Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
• physical activity avoidance
• weight stigma
• young college students

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Attitudes Regarding Eating and Activity (AREA) study team, the University of Michigan Consulting for Statistics, Computing and Analytics Research. We would also like to thank Dr. Natasha Schvey for sharing and allowing us to use the experimental weight stigma videos. We are also grateful to our study participants and their families for their involvement. The results of this study are presented clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the Unites States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Michigan.

Additional information

Funding

The University of Michigan Rackham Graduate Research Grant supported this work.