Experience of discrimination by body mass index among migrants and the general population in Finland

Background

Obesity stigma and discrimination more often affect women and individuals with multiple stigmatized identities. Migrant status is an additional source of marginalization, but population-based research linking body mass index (BMI) and discrimination remains limited.

Methods

We examined self-reported experience of discrimination across BMI categories (<18.5, 18.5–24.9, 25–29.9, 30–34.9, ≥35 kg/m²) among migrants (MoniSuomi Survey 2022, n = 6,767) and general population (Healthy Finland Survey 2022, n = 17,627) in Finland. Both surveys inquired identically height, weight, and discrimination: “Over the past 12 months, have you been discriminated against or in some other way treated worse than others because of some personal characteristic?”. Prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals were calculated, and group differences across BMI categories were assessed using F test.

Results

In the general population, the prevalence of perceived discrimination increased with higher BMI, particularly among women, ranging from 20% in the normal-weight category to 33% in those with BMI ≥35 kg/m² (p < 0.0001). Among men in the general population, discrimination was most prevalent in the underweight category (48%) and showed less variation across higher BMI categories ranging from 15% to 18% (p = 0.02). Among migrants, experience of discrimination was consistently high across all BMI categories, with prevalences ranging from 43% to 46% overall, and no statistically significant differences across BMI groups for women, men, or the total migrant population were observed (p values 0.35–0.96).

Conclusions

Experience of discrimination varied by BMI in the Finnish general population, being highest in women with obesity. Among migrants, discrimination was pervasive across all BMI categories, suggesting that factors beyond body weight dominate experiences of discrimination and highlighting the need for equity-focused public health and anti-discrimination interventions.

Key messages

• In the Finnish general population, experience of discrimination increases with higher BMI, especially among women, highlighting the need for ethical, stigma reducing communication about body weight.

• Among migrants, high levels of discrimination across all BMI categories suggest that body weight becomes less relevant when discrimination is widespread and driven by broader social factors.