Prevalence and Risk Factors of Weight Stigma Among Overweight Adolescent Girls in Junior and Senior High Schools in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis

Abstract

Background: Globally, there is widespread stigma and discrimination towards overweight people, which has negative effects on both their physical and mental health. Despite decades of scientific research on weight stigma, and its effects on public health, it is largely disregarded in policy and programs. Conversely, it is believed that overweight people are to blame for their weight, and that stigmatizing people for being overweight is acceptable and may encourage them to engage in better habits. This study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors of weight stigma among overweight adolescent girls in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. Methods: This study is a cross sectional survey conducted in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana. Using multi-stage stratified sampling, 200 in-school overweight adolescent girls between the ages 12-19 years were recruited from 8 schools –4 Junior High schools (2 private and 2 public) and 4 Senior High schools (2 private and 2 public) schools (n=8). Data collection involved interviews using a structured questionnaire that collected information on the adolescents’ socio-demographics, weight stigma experience, and anthropometric measurements. In-depth interviews were utilized to unearth perceptions of weight stigma. Data Processing and Analysis: Data were entered into excel version 2016 cleaned and exported to STATA version 16 for statistical analysis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were done. Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation while categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages.Logistic regression analysis was done to assess the strength of association between weight stigma and selected categorical variables. Results: Overall, the prevalence of weight stigma among overweight adolescent girls is (73%) in both Junior and Senior High School. Most of the study participants mentioned that overweight people are stigmatized with the perception that they are ‘useless’ and less active. One third (33.0%) of the girls worried about being stigmatized because of their body weight. Adolescent girls 10-14 years, the odds of ever experiencing weight stigma is 1.940 times higher than other age category, 95% CI (0.372 to 10.114) Conclusion: Weight stigma is prevalent among overweight adolescent girls in both Junior and Senior High Schools in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis Recommendation: Sensitization campaigns regarding overweight, and public health, and policy communication may help to lessen the stigma associated with being overweight and change the focus of public discourse away from victim-blaming or weak discipline