Perceived weight, weight stigma, and disordered eating among students in health-related university programs

The present study aimed to examine the association between experienced weight stigma (WS) and disordered eating among undergraduate students in health-related programs, and to examine whether perceived weight status explained disordered eating beyond experienced WS. It was hypothesized that (1) experienced WS would positively correlate with disordered eating scores, and (2) perceived weight status could explain disordered eating behaviours over and above the explanation of experienced WS for cognitive and emotional eating, but not for uncontrolled eating. To test these hypotheses, undergraduate students and alumni enrolled in health-related majors (n=187) were recruited from a mid-sized university in Ontario, Canada. All participants reported their perceived weight status, and filled out a demographic information sheet, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-18, and the Stigmatizing Situations Inventory-Brief Form questionnaire. Linear regressions and hierarchical regression models were used to analyze these potential relationships. A significant, positive correlation existed between experienced WS and disordered eating among undergraduate students in health-related programs. Additionally, it was found that perceived weight status explained further variance than experienced WS could for cognitive restraint and emotional eating, but not for uncontrolled eating. The findings suggest that health-related undergraduate students do not significantly differ from other groups; however, further research is supported.