Associations between weight-based teasing and disordered eating behaviors among youth

• Published in: Eating behaviors : an international journal Vol. 41; p. 101504
• Main Authors: Rubin, Alex G., Schvey, Natasha A., Shank, Lisa M., Altman, Deborah R., Swanson, Taylor N., Ramirez, Eliana, Moore, Nia A., Jaramillo, Manuela, Ramirez, Sophie, Davis, Elisabeth K., Broadney, Miranda M., LeMay-Russell, Sarah, Byrne, Meghan E., Parker, Megan K., Brady, Sheila M., Kelly, Nichole R., Tanofsky-Kraff, Marian, Yanovski, Jack A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01-04-2021
• Subjects: Adiposity; Adolescent; Adolescents; Body Weight; Children; Disordered eating; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Loss-of-control eating; Male; Negative affect; Obesity; Overweight; Weight-based teasing; Children; Weight-based teasing; Adolescents; Disordered eating; Loss-of-control eating; Negative affect
• ISSN: 1471-0153; 1873-7358; 1873-7358
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101504

Weight-based teasing (WBT) is commonly reported among youth and is associated with disinhibited and disordered eating. Specifically, youth who experience WBT may engage in disordered eating behaviors to cope with the resultant negative affect. Therefore, we examined associations between WBT and disordered eating behaviors among youth and assessed whether negative affect mediated these relationships. Two hundred one non-treatment seeking youth (8-17y) completed questionnaires assessing WBT, disinhibited eating, depression, and anxiety. Disordered eating and loss-of-control (LOC) eating were assessed via semi-structured interview. Analyses of covariance were conducted to examine relationships between WBT and eating-related variables, and bootstrapping mediation models were used to evaluate negative affect (a composite of depressive and anxiety symptoms) as a mediator of these associations. All models were adjusted for sex, race, age, and adiposity. Among 201 participants (13.1 ± 2.8y; 54.2% female; 30.3% Black; 32.8% with overweight/obesity), WBT was associated with emotional eating, eating in the absence of hunger, and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (ps ≤ 0.02). These associations were all mediated by negative affect. WBT was also associated with a threefold greater likelihood of reporting a recent LOC eating episode (p = .049). Among boys and girls across weight strata, WBT was associated with multiple aspects of disordered eating and these relationships were mediated by negative affect. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the directionality of these associations and to identify subgroups of youth that may be particularly vulnerable to WBT and its sequelae.
•Among youth, weight-based teasing was associated with greater disordered eating.•Youth who had experienced weight-based teasing were three times more likely to report recent loss-of-control eating.•Weight-based teasing was associated with greater emotional eating and eating when not hungry.•Negative affect mediated the relationships between teasing and disordered eating.