Effects of physical-activity-related anti-weight stigma materials on implicit and explicit evaluations

Although there exist videos and images created by Obesity Canada and similar organizations (e.g., the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity), it is not known if the materials have the desired effect of reducing stigma against people with obesity and might have the opposite effect of increasing stigma. Therefore, two studies used implicit and explicit evaluations to examine the effectiveness of images and videos intended to reduce weight stigma.

Study 1 participants (N = 284; M _age = 31.47 years [SD = 11.26]; 177 self-identified as women; 83 self-identified as living with obesity) completed two implicit measures (one with images of people living with obesity and the other with control images) followed by a weight stigma questionnaire. Study 2 participants (N = 308; M _age = 31.54 years [SD = 11.35]; 153 self-identified as women; 59 self-identified as living with obesity) were randomly assigned to view an obesity and exercise video and images of persons with obesity, control video and images of persons with obesity, obesity and exercise video and control images, or control video and control images, followed by the implicit measures and explicit evaluation questionnaire.

Implicit evaluations of the control images were more positive than the images of persons with obesity. Participants with no history of obesity who saw the control video and control images had lower weight stigma compared to participants in the other conditions.

Materials created to reduce weight stigma might not be effective among people with no history of obesity themselves or via a family member or friend. Intervention and health promotion researchers may wish to investigate effects of the images in combination with other messages because simply using the nonstigmatizing images is likely not enough.