PapersFlow Research Brief
Obesity and Health Practices
Research Guide
What is Obesity and Health Practices?
Obesity and Health Practices is a research cluster examining the impact of weight stigma on obesity management, including its effects on public health, physician attitudes, psychological well-being, and discrimination in primary care settings.
This field addresses weight bias, discrimination, and societal implications of obesity stigma in healthcare. Over 52,106 works explore connections between obesity stigma and health outcomes such as psychological well-being and primary care practices. Growth data over the last 5 years is not available.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Weight Stigma and Psychological Well-being
This sub-topic examines how weight-based stigma contributes to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and reduced self-esteem among individuals with obesity. Researchers study longitudinal effects, coping mechanisms, and interventions to mitigate internalized weight bias.
Physician Attitudes Toward Obesity and Patient Care
This sub-topic investigates implicit and explicit biases among healthcare providers that affect diagnostic decisions, treatment recommendations, and patient-provider interactions in obesity management. Researchers develop bias training programs and assess their impact on care quality.
Weight Discrimination in Primary Care Settings
This sub-topic explores manifestations of weight discrimination in primary care, including diagnostic overshadowing and suboptimal counseling on weight management. Researchers evaluate systemic interventions and patient experiences through qualitative and survey methods.
Public Health Implications of Obesity Stigma
This sub-topic analyzes how societal obesity stigma influences population-level health policies, media portrayals, and anti-obesity campaigns' unintended consequences. Researchers study stigma's role in healthcare utilization avoidance and policy advocacy.
Social Identity and Weight Bias Internalization
This sub-topic covers how social identity theory explains the internalization of weight stigma, affecting motivation, identity formation, and health behaviors. Researchers apply experimental designs to test de-stigmatization via identity reappraisal techniques.
Why It Matters
Weight stigma influences obesity management by affecting physician attitudes and patient care in primary care, contributing to public health challenges. For instance, Must (1999) in "The Disease Burden Associated With Overweight and Obesity" found that more than half of US adults are overweight or obese, with obesity linked to comorbidities that demand prevention efforts. Flegal (2002) in "Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2000" reported continuing increases in obesity prevalence, highlighting public health benefits from reductions. Buchwald et al. (2004) in "Bariatric Surgery" demonstrated effective weight loss and resolution of conditions like diabetes and hypertension in morbidly obese patients post-surgery.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: The evidence report" (1998) serves as the starting point because it establishes foundational standards for obesity identification, evaluation, and treatment in adults.
Key Papers Explained
Ng et al. (2014) in "Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013" provides global prevalence data that contextualizes Flegal (2002) and Mokdad et al. (2003) findings on US trends in "Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2000" and "Prevalence of Obesity, Diabetes, and Obesity-Related Health Risk Factors, 2001". Must (1999) in "The Disease Burden Associated With Overweight and Obesity" quantifies comorbidities building on these prevalences. Buchwald et al. (2004) in "Bariatric Surgery" advances to intervention outcomes like diabetes resolution.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Research continues to focus on obesity stigma's role in physician attitudes and primary care discrimination, as indicated by the cluster's emphasis on weight bias and psychological well-being. No recent preprints or news from the last 12 months specify new developments.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its impl... | 2004 | The Lancet | 12.3K | ✕ |
| 2 | Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and ob... | 2014 | The Lancet | 11.9K | ✓ |
| 3 | Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and tre... | 1998 | PsycEXTRA Dataset | 9.5K | ✕ |
| 4 | Bariatric Surgery | 2004 | JAMA | 6.7K | ✕ |
| 5 | Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2000 | 2002 | JAMA | 6.2K | ✕ |
| 6 | Impact of Informing Overweight Individuals about the Role of G... | 2013 | Human Heredity | 6.1K | ✕ |
| 7 | Prevalence of Obesity, Diabetes, and Obesity-Related Health Ri... | 2003 | JAMA | 5.9K | ✕ |
| 8 | The stress process. | 1981 | PubMed | 5.1K | ✕ |
| 9 | The Disease Burden Associated With Overweight and Obesity | 1999 | JAMA | 4.8K | ✕ |
| 10 | The three-factor eating questionnaire to measure dietary restr... | 1985 | Journal of Psychosomat... | 4.6K | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the prevalence of obesity in US adults?
Flegal (2002) in "Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2000" showed that increases in obesity and overweight prevalences continued in 1999-2000. Mokdad et al. (2003) in "Prevalence of Obesity, Diabetes, and Obesity-Related Health Risk Factors, 2001" reported ongoing rises across sexes, ages, races, education levels, and smoking statuses. Obesity associates strongly with major health risk factors.
How does bariatric surgery impact health conditions in obese patients?
Buchwald et al. (2004) in "Bariatric Surgery" found effective weight loss in morbidly obese patients after surgery. A substantial majority experienced complete resolution or improvement in diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea. These outcomes support surgery as a management option.
What role does genetics information play in obesity perceptions?
Lippa and Sanderson (2013) in "Impact of Informing Overweight Individuals about the Role of Genetics in Obesity: An Online Experimental Study" examined how genetic information affects weight-related cognitions in overweight individuals. The study assessed potential beneficial or harmful effects on public awareness. It also gauged interest in personalized genetic information.
What is the disease burden of overweight and obesity?
Must (1999) in "The Disease Burden Associated With Overweight and Obesity" determined that more than half of US adults are overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity-related comorbidities underscores the need to prevent and treat obesity directly. Efforts should target obesity rather than only its comorbidities.
What are clinical guidelines for overweight and obesity in adults?
"Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: The evidence report" (1998) provides standards for identification, evaluation, and treatment. These guidelines form the basis for managing adult overweight and obesity in clinical practice.
How has global obesity prevalence changed?
Ng et al. (2014) in "Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013" analyzed trends from 1980 to 2013. The study offers systematic data on overweight and obesity prevalence worldwide.
Open Research Questions
- ? How do physician attitudes shaped by weight stigma affect obesity treatment outcomes in primary care?
- ? What are the long-term psychological effects of weight bias on individuals seeking nutrition education?
- ? In what ways does social identity influence discrimination experiences in obesity management?
- ? How can public health interventions reduce obesity stigma to improve health practices?
- ? What metrics best measure the impact of weight stigma on psychological well-being in diverse populations?
Recent Trends
The field maintains over 52,106 works with no specified 5-year growth rate.
High-citation papers from 1998-2014, such as Ng et al. with 11,906 citations and Flegal (2002) with 6,206 citations, reflect established focus on prevalence and stigma impacts.
2014No recent preprints or news coverage alters these patterns.
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