The Relationship Between Gender and Experienes of Weight Stigma From Healthcare Providers

Healthcare providers are a common source of weight stigma, which is associated with lower physician trust, poorer patient outcomes, and the avoidance of healthcare services. Currently, there is a lack of consensus in research on whether women and men are equally likely to experience weight stigma from healthcare providers. The present study examined whether gender differences exist in weight stigma received from healthcare providers in childhood or adulthood, comfort seeking medical care, and healthcare avoidance. Adult participants (N = 196) reported the frequency at which they experienced stigmatizing experiences in healthcare environments in the past 12 months and during childhood using the Stigma Situations in Health Care (SSHC) Scale. The Measure of Healthcare Avoidance (MHA) was used to investigate reasons participants might avoid seeing a doctor, and two additional survey questions gauged participants’ comfort seeking medical care in the past 12 months. Logistic regressions showed no gender differences in past experiences of weight stigma (X2 = .072, 1 df, p =.789) or current experiences of weight stigma (X2 = 2.112, 1 df, p = .146). Furthermore, point-biserial correlations showed no association between gender and comfort seeking care (rpb = .051, p =.480) or healthcare avoidance (rpb =.005, p =.941). These findings suggest that men are as likely as women to experience weight stigma from healthcare providers in both childhood and adulthood, and exhibit comparable levels of healthcare avoidance and comfort seeking medical care. Future research should further examine the frequency and nuances of weight stigma in men, women, and gender-diverse individuals.