Sutin, Angelina R. and Robinson, Eric and Daly, Michael and Gerend, Mary A. and Stephan, Yannick and Luchetti, Martina and Aschwanden, Damaris and Strickhouser, Jason E. and Lee, Ji Hyun and Sesker, Amanda A. and Terracciano, Antonio (2020) BMI, Weight Discrimination, and Psychological, Behavioral, and Interpersonal Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Obesity, 28 (9). pp. 1590-1594. ISSN 1930-7381

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Abstract

Objective : This study aimed to examine whether BMI and weight discrimination are associated with psychological, behavioral, and interpersonal responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Methods : Using a prospective design, participants (N = 2,094) were first assessed in early February 2020 before the coronavirus crisis in the United States and again in mid-March 2020 during the President’s “15 Days to Slow the Spread” guidelines. Weight, height, and weight discrimination were assessed in the February survey. Psychological, behavioral, and interpersonal responses to the coronavirus were assessed in the March survey. Results : Prepandemic experiences with weight discrimination were associated with greater concerns about the virus, engaging in more preventive behaviors, less trust in people and institutions to manage the outbreak, and greater perceived declines in connection to one’s community. BMI tended to be unrelated to these responses. Conclusions : Despite the risks of complications of coronavirus disease associated with obesity, individuals with higher BMI were neither more concerned about the virus nor taking more behavioral precautions than individuals in other weight categories. Weight discrimination, in contrast, may heighten vigilance to threat, which may have contributed to both positive (greater concern, more precautionary behavior) and negative (less trust, declines community connection) responses to the pandemic.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Cite as: Sutin, A.R., Robinson, E., Daly, M., Gerend, M.A., Stephan, Y., Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Strickhouser, J.E., Lee, J.H., Sesker, A.A. and Terracciano, A. (2020), BMI, Weight Discrimination, and Psychological, Behavioral, and Interpersonal Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Obesity, 28: 1590-1594. https://doi-org.jproxy.nuim.ie/10.1002/oby.22914
Keywords:	COVID‐19; Coronavirus Pandemic; Weight Discrimination; Trust; Precautionary Behaviors;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology
Item ID:	15228
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.22914
Depositing User:	Michael Daly
Date Deposited:	11 Jan 2022 16:12
Journal or Publication Title:	Obesity
Publisher:	Wiley
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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