DOI

10.1037/sah0000026

Abstract

The American Medical Association (AMA) hoped that labeling obesity a disease would not only highlight the seriousness of the epidemic and elicit resources but also reduce stigma against obese individuals. In the current work, we tested the consequences of this decision for prejudice against obese individuals. In doing so, we highlighted the complicated link between messages stressing different etiologies of obesity and prejudice. More specifically, we conducted three experimental studies (nStudy1= 188; nStudy2=111; nStudy3=391), randomly assigning participants to either an obesity is a disease message or a weight is changeable message. Our results indicated that messages focused on obesity as a disease, relative to those focused on the changeable nature of weight, both (a) decreased blame and via this mechanism, decreased anti-fat prejudice and (b) increased, or strengthened the belief in the unchangeable nature of weight and via this mechanism, increased anti-fat prejudice. We call these opposing effects the stigma asymmetry model. We conclude with theoretical and practical implications of this model.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2016 American Psychological Association

DOI: 10.1037/sah0000026

The definitive version is available at: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/sah/2/1/53.html

Full Citation:

Hoyt, Crystal L., Jeni L. Burnette, Lisa Auster-Gussman, Alison Blodorn, and Brenda Major. "The obesity stigma asymmetry model: The indirect and divergent effects of blame and changeability beliefs on antifat prejudice." Stigma and Health 2, no. 1 (2017): 53-65. doi:10.1037/sah0000026.

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