“Obesity Is a Disease”: Examining the Self-Regulatory Impact of This Public-Health Message

Authors

Crystal L. Hoyt, University of RichmondFollow
Jeni L. Burnette, University of RichmondFollow
Lisa Auster-Gussman

DOI

10.1177/0956797613516981

Abstract

In the current work, we examined the impact of the American Medical Association’s recent classification of obesity as a disease on weight-management processes. Across three experimental studies, we highlighted the potential hidden costs associated with labeling obesity as a disease, showing that this message, presented in an actual New York Times article, undermined beneficial weight-loss self-regulatory processes. A disease-based, relative to an information-based, weight-management message weakened the importance placed on health-focused dieting and reduced concerns about weight among obese individuals—the very people whom such public-health messages are targeting. Further, the decreased concern about weight predicted higher-calorie food choices. In addition, the disease message, relative to a message that obesity is not a disease, lowered body-image dissatisfaction, but this too predicted higher-calorie food choices. Thus, although defining obesity as a disease may be beneficial for body image, results from the current work emphasize the negative implications of this message for self-regulation.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-24-2014

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2014, SageJournals.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613516981

The definitive version is available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797613516981

Recommended Citation

Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., & Auster-Gussman, L. (2014). “Obesity Is a Disease”: Examining the Self-Regulatory Impact of This Public-Health Message. Psychological Science, 25(4), 997-1002. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613516981