Introduction: Recent years have witnessed a medicalization
of obesity, promoting a classification as a disease or disability
in order to reduce or protect against weight stigma and
discrimination. This study sought to investigate the public
understanding of the disability and disease concepts in obesity,
their acceptance, and association with weight stigma.
Methods: In a representative German population sample
(n = 2,524), public views of obesity as a disease or disability
were assessed via a self-report questionnaire. For the assessment
of weight stigma, the Weight Control/Blame subscale
from the Antifat Attitudes Test was used. Results: A significantly
greater acceptance of the disease than the disability
concept was found (37.1 vs. 15.4%). Both disease and disability
were mainly viewed as physical conditions, although onethird
also viewed obesity as a mental disease. While agreement
with the disease concept – especially of physical and
genetic disease – significantly predicted lower weight stigma;
agreement with the disability concept – especially of
mental or intellectual disability – predicted higher weight
stigma. Conclusions: These results suggest a careful use of
the disease and disability terms and precise definitions. The
disability concept in particular carries notions that are publicly
devalued.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:90689 |
| Date | 28 March 2024 |
| Creators | Hilbert, Anja, Zenger, Markus, Luck-Sikorski, Claudia, Brähler, Elmar |
| Publisher | Karger |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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