Messages designed to encourage weight loss could have opposite effect

Messages designed to encourage weight loss could have opposite effect

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 04:47 PM IST
article-image

Washington : Weight-stigmatizing messages shown by media – ones characterizing overweight individuals as lazy, weak-willed, self-indulgent and contributing to rising health care costs – could be tipping the scales in the wrong direction, a new research has suggested, reports ANI.

According to UC Santa Barbara psychology professor Brenda Major’s research, when women who perceive themselves as overweight are exposed to weight-stigmatizing news articles, they are less able to control their eating afterward than are women who don’t perceive themselves that way. The researchers asked half of the participants to read a mock article from The New York Times titled “Lose Weight or Lose Your Job.” The other half read a similar article, “Quit Smoking or Lose Your Job.” After reading the articles, participants were asked to describe them via video camera to someone who was unfamiliar with the content.

RECENT STORIES

`Flies That Colonise Corpse Help To Determine Time Of Death’

`Flies That Colonise Corpse Help To Determine Time Of Death’

‘Sexual Life Pleasurable If Couple Understands Each Other’s Needs’

‘Sexual Life Pleasurable If Couple Understands Each Other’s Needs’

5 Heart Healthy Cooking Oils

5 Heart Healthy Cooking Oils

'No Feeding Kabootars In Mumbai Anymore': Why Are Pigeons A Health Hazard?

'No Feeding Kabootars In Mumbai Anymore': Why Are Pigeons A Health Hazard?

AI Helps Couple Conceive After 18 Years Of Infertility

AI Helps Couple Conceive After 18 Years Of Infertility