Policies to address weight discrimination and bullying: Perspectives of adults engaged in weight management from six nations

Objective Across the world, it remains legal to discriminate against people because of their weight. Although US studies demonstrate public support for laws to prohibit weight discrimination, multinational research is scarce. The present study conducted a multinational comparison of support for legislative measures to address weight discrimination and bullying across six countries. Methods Participants were adults (n = 13,996) enrolled in an international weight-management program and residing in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US. Participants completed identical online surveys that assessed support for antidiscrimination laws and policies to address weight bullying, demographic characteristics, and personal experiences of weight stigma. Results Across countries, support was high for laws (90%) and policies (92%) to address weight-based bullying, whereas greater between-country variation emerged in support for legislation to address weight-based discrimination in employment (61%, 79%), as a human rights issue (57%), and through existing disability protections (47%). Findings highlight few and inconsistent links between policy support and sociodemographic correlates or experienced or internalized weight stigma. Conclusions Support for policies to address weight stigma is present among people engaged in weight management across Westernized countries; findings offer an informative comparison point for future cross-country research and can inform policy discourse to address weight discrimination and bullying.

Automated summary

While there is widespread support for legislation to address weight-based bullying globally, there are significant differences in support for legislation to address weight-based discrimination across countries. The study found few consistent links between policy support and sociodemographic variables or personal experiences of weight stigma.