The Health and Social Consequences of Obesity Depend on Where You Live

Eine übergewichtige Person steht lächelnd vor einem Spiegel. Die Person trägt Sportkleidung.

Obesity can have serious social, socio-economic and health consequences. A new study shows that the problems are less serious for people who live in areas where obesity is common.

A research team led by Dr. Jana Berkessel from the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES) at the University of Mannheim investigated the influence of the regional and cultural context on the consequences of obesity. The researchers collected archival data from more than 3.4 million people from the US and the UK. The authors of the study found out that the negative consequences for those affected are less severe in regions with high obesity rates which could partly be attributed to less stigmatization. The results of the study were published in the US journal Psychological Science this week.

Full press release

Back