Weight discrimination and cardiometabolic health in underrepresented US adults

This study investigated the association between perceived weight discrimination and cardiometabolic health. A demographically diverse sample of 2632 US adults (36% Black/African American; 36% Hispanic/Latino; 29% sexual minority) completed a cross-sectional online survey. Linear regression was used to assess the association between perceived weight discrimination (assessed with the Stigmatizing Situations Survey-Brief) and cardiometabolic risk (indicated by the number of cardiometabolic conditions reported: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, or diabetes), adjusting for body mass index and demographic characteristics. Cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and sleep disturbance were investigated as mediators. Perceived weight discrimination was associated with higher cardiometabolic risk. Further, greater exposure to weight discrimination was associated with higher likelihood of smoking, problematic drinking behavior, and disrupted sleep, and those behaviors in turn predicted higher cardiometabolic risk. Findings underscore the importance of addressing the negative health consequences of weight discrimination in cardiometabolic disease prevention programs.