Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA.
Ann Behav Med. 2020 Oct 1;54(10):738-746. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaaa077.
Weight stigma is common for people with obesity and harmful to health. Links between obesity and complications from COVID-19 have been identified, but it is unknown whether weight stigma poses adverse health implications during this pandemic.
We examined longitudinal associations between prepandemic experiences of weight stigma and eating behaviors, psychological distress, and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic in a diverse sample of emerging adults.
Participants (N = 584, 64% female, mean age = 24.6 ± 2.0 years, mean body mass index [BMI] = 28.2) in the COVID-19 Eating and Activity over Time (C-EAT) study were cohort members of the population-based longitudinal study EAT 2010-2018. Weight stigma reported by participants in 2018 was examined as a predictor of binge eating, eating to cope, physical activity, depressive symptoms, and stress during COVID-19. Data were collected via online surveys during the U.S. outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
Prepandemic experiences of weight stigma predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms (β = 0.15, p < .001), stress (β = 0.15, p = .001), eating as a coping strategy (β = 0.16, p < .001), and an increased likelihood of binge eating (odds ratio = 2.88, p < .001) among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic but were unrelated to physical activity. Although associations remained after accounting for demographic characteristics and BMI, the magnitude of longitudinal associations was attenuated after adjusting for prior levels of the outcome variables.
Young adults who have experienced weight stigma may have increased vulnerability to distress and maladaptive eating during this pandemic. Public health messaging could be improved to support people of diverse body sizes and reduce the harmful consequences of weight stigma.
肥胖人群普遍会遭受体重歧视，这对健康有害。肥胖与 COVID-19 并发症之间的联系已被确定，但在此次大流行期间，体重歧视是否会对健康产生不利影响尚不清楚。
我们在一个多样化的年轻成年人样本中，研究了大流行前经历的体重歧视与 COVID-19 期间的饮食行为、心理困扰和身体活动之间的纵向关联。
COVID-19 期间进食和活动变化（C-EAT）研究的参与者（N=584 人，64%为女性，平均年龄为 24.6±2.0 岁，平均体重指数[BMI]为 28.2）是基于人群的纵向研究 EAT 2010-2018 的队列成员。在 2018 年报告的体重歧视被视为在 COVID-19 期间暴食、应对性进食、身体活动、抑郁症状和压力的预测指标。数据是在 2020 年美国 COVID-19 爆发期间通过在线调查收集的。
大流行前的体重歧视经历预测了更高水平的抑郁症状（β=0.15，p<0.001）、压力（β=0.15，p=0.001）、应对性进食（β=0.16，p<0.001），以及 COVID-19 期间暴食的可能性增加（比值比=2.88，p<0.001），但与身体活动无关。尽管在考虑人口统计学特征和 BMI 后，关联仍然存在，但在调整先前的结局变量水平后，纵向关联的幅度减弱。
经历过体重歧视的年轻成年人在此次大流行期间可能更容易感到痛苦和采取不良的进食方式。公共卫生信息可以得到改善，以支持不同体型的人群，并减少体重歧视的有害后果。
