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FRIDAY, May 9, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Childhood obesity nearly triples a person’s risk for experiencing discrimination or stigma based on their weight, a new study says.

Severe obesity before age 18 increased a person’s odds of experiencing weight stigma by 2.8 times, researchers reported recently in the .

Weight stigma is marked by negative or discriminatory actions related to a person’s body weight or size, researchers said in background notes.

“Experienced weight stigma is definitely not about hurt feelings,� said senior researcher , an associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

“It’s a real public health issue that impacts mental health, physical health and access to care,� Almandoz said in a news release. “Recognizing and addressing weight stigma needs to be part of routine obesity care.�

About 42% of U.S. adults 20 and older are obese, and more than 40% adults report experiencing weight stigma at some point in their lives, researchers said in background notes.

Further, the number of children with obesity in the U.S. continues to rise, with about 1 in 5 teens currently living with the condition, researchers said.

To see whether age influences their risk of weight stigma, researchers surveyed 686 adults receiving care at UT Southwestern’s Weight Wellness Program between 2021 and 2023. 

Participants had an average age of 56, and about 62% had severe obesity with their body mass index (BMI) 40 or greater. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight.

About 23% of participants said they were obese by age 18, including more than 6% who said they were severely obese.

Childhood obesity increased the odds that they would be stigmatized for their weight, being treated disrespectfully or socially rejected, researchers found.

The most common stigmatizing situations involved doctors recommending a diet even if the person’s visit wasn’t related to their weight, and people assuming that patients overeat or binge eat due to their weight, researchers said.

“Early onset of obesity can have lasting psychological and social consequences,� Almandoz said.

The researchers recommend screening for weight stigma as a regular part of obesity care.

More information

The American Psychological Association has more on .

SOURCE: UT Southwestern Medical Center, news release, May 1, 2025

What This Means For You

People with obesity should inform their doctor about any weight stigma they’ve experienced, as it could be detrimental to their mental health.