Obesity, weight-related stigma and its association with the perception of quality of life in Chilean university students

Abstract

Introduction: little attention has been paid to the effect of exposure to weight-related stigma on the quality of life of young Chileans with obesity. Objective: to identify the prevalence of weight-related stigma and to analyze its association with obesity and the perception of quality of life in university students from Valparaíso, Chile. Methods: correlational type study and cross-sectional design. Two hundred and sixty-two university students participated, from 18 to 29 years old, matriculated in the Faculty of Health Sciences of a public university in Valparaíso, Chile. Quality of life was assessed with the WHOQOL-BREF scale, weight-related stigma with the Brief Stigmatizing Situations Inventory (SSI), and nutritional status with body mass index (BMI) classification. The application of the questionnaires was on-line and the answers were anonymous. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the variables, adjusted for gender and age. Results: the prevalence of stigma related to weight was 13,2 % in eutrophic, 24,4 % in overweight and 68,0 % in obese. Weight-related stigma, rather than obesity itself, is associated with poorer perceived physical health (OR: 4.30; 95 % CI: 2.10-8.80), psychological health (OR: 4.51; 95 % CI: 2.20-9.26), social relationships (OR: 3.21; 95 % CI: 1.56-6.60) and environment (OR: 2.86; 95 % CI: 1.33-6.14). Conclusion: students exposed to stigmatizing situations related to weight had a worse perception of their quality of life compared to those not stigmatized.