Weight Bias Internalization: Relationships With Mental Health, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behavior

Research is lacking on the relationships between weight bias internalization (WBI; known as self-directed stigma regarding one's weight) and mental health, physical activity, and sedentary behavior. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between WBI, mental health (body satisfaction, life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect), time spent performing different intensities of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) among a Canadian sample of adults that is more representative of the general public. Participants (N = 175) completed questionnaires which examined WBI, body satisfaction, life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect, PA, and SB. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between WBI and mental health variables, physical activity, and sedentary behavior after adjusting for age, gender, and race. Subsequent analyses were stratified by gender. WBI was negatively associated with moderate and strenuous intensity PA, as well as total PA, and was positively associated with SB. WBI was also negatively associated with life satisfaction, body satisfaction, and positive affect, but was positively associated with negative affect. WBI is significantly associated with negative mental health variables, reductions in PA, and increases in SB. More research is needed to better understand the negative health correlates and impacts WBI on physical and mental health in order to improve patient outcomes and to optimize the efficacy of targeted health behavior interventions.