SynthesisObesity (Silver Spring, Md.)2021
Is weight stigma associated with physical activity? A systematic review.
Synthesis in Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of Weight Bias, Stigma and Discrimination on Physical, Mental, and Quality of Life Outcomes of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review.Obesity surgery · 2026Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of School-Based Physical Activity Promotion on Mental Health Among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2025Pooled it
- Front-of-Package Food Labels and Perceived Weight Stigmatization: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- Bidirectional associations and developmental trajectories between physical activity and weight self-stigma among adolescents with high body weight/obesity: A longitudinal study.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026Article
- Article
- Weight discrimination and cardiometabolic health in underrepresented US adults.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Exploring how weight stigma relates to psychological distress, physical activity, and eating behaviors over time: a longitudinal study among young adults in Hong Kong.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Stigmatizing attitudes and misconceptions about obesity among Spanish healthcare professionals.PloS one · 2026Article
- Weight stigma and engagement in physical health behaviours among young adults in India.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Physical Activity, Emotional Intelligence, and Resilience in College Students: A Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling Analysis Across Physical Fitness Levels.Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
- Associations between weight bias internalization, weight status, and health among a diverse cohort of freshman college students.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2025Article
- Prevalence of physical activity and its association with atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk factors in young women in the middle east: a sub-analysis of the ANCHORS study.BMC public health · 2025Observational
- The legality of weight discrimination in Canada: an environmental scan of case law and the limits of Canadian legislation.International journal for equity in health · 2025Review
- Weight Stigma in the Metabolic Bariatric Surgery Context: Current State of the Literature, Conceptual Model, and Looking Forward.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- Prospective Relations Between Self-Concept and Adolescent Physical Education Participation: A Sex Stratified Analysis.Journal of adolescence · 2025Article
- Supporting physical activity adoption through recommender system technology: A pilot study.Journal of health psychology · 2025Article
- Associations between Health Interest Scale Dimensions and Obesity Risk: A Cross-sectional Study among Japanese Employees.JMA journal · 2025Article
- The Effect of Exercise Atmosphere on College Students' Physical Exercise-A Moderated Chain Mediation Model.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Tackling Loneliness, Ineffective Social Support, and Mental Ill-Health Among People With Higher Weight.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025Article
- Mediating roles of weight stigma and physical activity avoidance in the associations between severity of gaming disorder and levels of physical activity among young adults.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveWeight stigma is associated with impaired health, attributed in part to reductions in health-promoting behaviors. This review analyzed evidence of the association between weight stigma and physical activity (PA) in adults and youth.
methodsThree databases were searched for terms related to weight stigma and PA. Eligible studies reported the quantitative association between at least one measure of weight stigma and one behavioral measure of PA.
resultsA total of 38 studies met eligibility criteria. Of the 29 studies of adults, 3 used objective PA measures, and 79% used an observational, cross-sectional design. Findings of the relationship between weight stigma and PA were mixed. Everyday weight discrimination and internalizing weight stigma were associated with reduced PA in most studies. Several studies found indirect, and not direct, effects of weight stigma on PA when analyses included other individual-level factors. In the nine studies of youth, two used objective PA measures, all were observational, and only one study was longitudinal. Most youth studies found a relationship between weight-based teasing and reduced PA.
conclusionsWeight teasing, everyday discrimination, and internalization were associated with reduced PA. However, associations were inconsistent and often indirect. Future studies should include objective PA measures with larger samples and longitudinal assessments.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.