Associations Between Weight Perception and Weight Status With Perceptions of the Body Positivity Movement

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-16-2024

Department

Kinesiology

School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Abstract

Purpose

To explore the relationships between weight status, weight perceptions, and perceptions of the body positivity movement on social media.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Online through the Qualtrics platform.

Subjects

Participants (N = 521; mean 26.6 ± 5.1 years) were recruited using Qualtrics online panels.

Measures

The study survey included questions about participant demographics, weight status, and weight perception. Subjects rated 6 study-specific viewpoint questions about the body positivity movement on a 5pt Likert scale.

Analysis

Multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for relevant confounders assessed the associations between objective weight status, perceived weight status, and perceptions of the body positivity movement.

Results

Objective weight status was not associated with perceptions of the body positivity movement. Perceptions of weight status were associated with perceptions of the body positivity movement in young women, with those that perceived themselves as overweight more likely (OR = 1.67, P < 0.05) to disagree with the statement that “the body positivity makes people less likely to lose weight.”. However, young women that perceived themselves as having a lower weight status were less likely (OR = 0.54, P < 0.05) to agree with the statement that “the body positivity movement empowered women” as well as “being inclusive of people of all sizes” (OR = 0.56, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Weight perception, rather than objective weight status, may be a stronger predictor of weight bias and views of the body positivity movement.

Comments

Kristie Rupp et al, Associations Between Weight Perception and Weight Status With Perceptions of the Body Positivity Movement, American Journal of Health Promotion (, ) pp. . Copyright © 2024. DOI: 10.1177/08901171241284695. Users who receive access to an article through a repository are reminded that the article is protected by copyright and reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses. Users may also download and save a local copy of an article accessed in an institutional repository for the user's personal reference. For permission to reuse an article, please follow our Process for Requesting Permission.

Publication Title

American Journal of Health Promotion

Volume

39

Issue

2

First Page

291

Last Page

294

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