Weight discrimination: evidence of whole-population and intersectional effects from an ethnically diverse, UK general population survey

BackgroundWeight-related discrimination is widespread in society. Some US studies have suggested weight discrimination may differ between demographic groups, impacting white women more than minority women or men. However, stigma differs substantially between societies, and few studies have explored intersectional effects outside the US.MethodsIn a large (N=8,057) ethnically diverse panel study UK adults, we examined associations of body mass index (BMI) with two stigma-related outcomes in the past year: being insulted in an everyday setting and being denied a promotion or training at work. To explore intersectional effects, we examined whether sex, ethnicity, sex-ethnicity-combinations, or educational qualifications modified associations.ResultsIn models adjusted for confounders including psychological distress, higher BMI was correlated with being insulted in an everyday setting across all participants (per kg/m2, OR: 1.02, CI:1.01,1.03), male (OR: 1.03, CI:1.01,1.05) and female participants (OR: 1.02, CI: 1.00,1.03). Stratifying by ethnicity and sex-ethnicity combinations, the strongest association was seen for Asian men (OR:1.04, CI: 1.01,1.07); other estimates were less precise. Among participants employed in the past year, higher BMI was significantly associated with being denied promotion or training across all participants (OR: 1.03, CI: 1.00,1.06) and women (OR: 1.04, 1.01,1.08). Stratifying by sex-ethnicity combination, the strongest association was for Black women (OR: 1.06, CI: (1.01,1.12).ConclusionsResults are consistent with experience of weight discrimination across sexes, ethnic groups and educational levels in the UK. Longitudinal studies are needed to unravel mechanisms linking weight and discrimination in minority ethnic groups.