Inclusive public health messaging for obesity and eating disorders

Title

Inclusive public health messaging for obesity and eating disorders

Purpose 

The aims of this research project are to:

1. Get a better understanding of the impact of current obesity-focused public health messaging on adults’ risk for eating disorders (EDs).

2. Lead to a better understanding of the range of healthy weight and healthy eating messages that children are exposed to, and how these are understood and internalised.

This will enable the development of recommendations to promote obesity-focused public health messaging that does not unintentionally harm or stigmatise individuals at risk of developing disordered eating/eating disorders.

Background

The prevention and management of obesity requires population changes in diet, including overall energy reduction. An important part of current public health messaging about obesity therefore focuses on calorie guidelines/restriction.

There is growing concern among EDs professionals and advocates that current public health messaging about obesity – especially the focus on calorie counting – is inadvertently increasing disordered eating behaviours and cognitions, especially among vulnerable groups. The specific impact of current obesity public health messaging on adults’ and children’s risk for EDs is not known.

Aims and methodology

We will conduct focus group interviews with adults to:

1. Gain insights into how public health messaging around obesity may be contributing to obesity-prevention behaviours, disordered eating, and weight stigma
2. Identify how obesity messaging can be made more ‘EDs friendly’ and inclusive, while also supporting obesity prevention and management

We will conduct focus groups with children to understand:

1. The range of messages that children are exposed to

How children understand and interpret messaging about healthy weight and healthy eating.

Timing 

• December 2023