People can be sensitive when it comes to appearances. This is very true especially for those who are fat, who are usually targeted in body shaming. Fat shaming leads to even more health issues as they contend on hostility.
Body shaming can be a form of harassment. Many people are shamed daily because of their appearance. This happens especially in places like schools. Even in workplaces though, body shaming can be prevalent.
Many fat people are especially body shamed. This can have negative effects, such as depression setting in. Depression and anxiety could lead destructive behavior which in time could lead to health issues.
People who are humiliated would often fall back to some sort of comfort in order to avoid stress. This might be eating, which for many fat and obese people can be destructive. This has been the finding of Rebecca Pearl, Ph.D. and lead author of the study. She is an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Weight and Eating Disorders.
In the study it has been found out that people who have been body shamed lack the will to exercise. They tend to also consume more calories. These activities are the opposite from what is supposed to happen, as anxiety and depression often take over them.
159 people who were obese were examined by the team. Majority of the participants were also African-American, a group that has not been studied much when it comes to weight research, according to Science Daily. For the study the participants were given questionnaires that inquired about depression and weight bias internalization. Their blood pressure, waist measurements and other triglyceride levels were also monitored.
When the participants were grouped into high and low levels of weight bias internalization, the study has found that those in the high group tend to have three times the level of metabolic syndrome, as News Wise reports. They also have high triglyceride levels.
Tom Wadden, Ph.D. is co-author of the study and a professor of Psychology and Psychiatry. He said that media and health care providers should be aware that body shaming people isn't effective. It could only lead to even more destructive behavior like overeating, which is what is being prevented in the first place.
Body shaming can have negative psychological effects. Fat shaming also leads to even more health issues. Obesity surgery is successful in teens, as another study shows.
