Obesity stigma in young children
Photograph taken from Unsplash
The aim of the project is to study obesity stigma in the environment surrounding young children, five years old and younger.
Description
Obesity is now recognised as a chronic disease with many different causes. Despite this, health and weight loss messages from health professionals, the media and society at large focus almost exclusively on individual responsibility. This leads to a widespread obesity stigma that affects overweight people of all ages, including children and adolescents. Obesity stigma means that people living with obesity experience prejudice, stereotypes and negative attitudes because of their weight, which can result in bullying, discrimination and social exclusion. This can lead to serious consequences for physical and mental health, not least in children and young people who are going through a critical period in the formation of self-image and self-esteem. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to investigate how children are exposed to obesity stigma and what consequences it may have for them.
The existing research on obesity stigma mainly focuses on adults, teenagers and older children. When it comes to children aged five years and younger, research is scarce, and in some cases completely non-existent. At the Department of Food Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, a doctoral project is currently underway that aims to fill this knowledge gap. This research project uses interviews and observations to investigate obesity stigma in environments where young children are present, with a particular focus on the home, preschool and health care environment.