Self‑Perceived Mental Health and Attitudes Towards People with Obesity

Background

Obesity stigma remains a public health challenge that presents significant impact on social inclusion and mental health of individuals living with obesity. Despite structural and socioeconomic determinants of stigma having been explored, there is still steps to be made on the relationship between psychological wellbeing and attitudes toward people with obesity (ATPO). Identifying whether self-perceived mental health influences stigmatising attitudes may inform the design of more effective anti-stigma interventions regarding obesity.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey directed to Portuguese adults (≥18 years). Self-perceived mental health was measured using a single-item question with five response options (“very poor” to “very good”). ATPO were assessed using four items measuring willingness to hire, go on a date with, entrust childcare to, and befriend a person with obesity (1–10 scale, higher scores = more favourable attitudes). A composite ATPO score was calculated as the mean of the four items. Spearman’s correlation was performed (significance set at p<0.05).

Results

A total of 3329 adults participated (mean age 49 years ±12.25, 85.4% female, 79.7% with university education). 47.9 % of respondents perceived their mental health as very poor, poor or reasonable. The score for ATPO was 7.71±1.75. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between self-perceived mental health and ATPO (rs=-0.071, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that better self-perceived mental health is associated with more favourable ATPO, suggesting that psychological wellbeing may play a role in shaping stigmatising behaviours. Although the modesty of the effect, the statistical robustness that comes from the large sample size highlights the potential in integrating mental health promotion into interventions with the goal to reduce obesity related stigma, as they may produce benefits for social inclusion.

Key messages

• Better self‑perceived mental health is associated with more favourable attitudes toward people with obesity (modest effect but statistically robust).

• Integrating mental health promotion into anti‑stigma strategies may enhance social inclusion by improving attitudes toward people living with obesity.