Changes to Weight Bias Internalization and Eating Behaviors in Adults Aged 50+ With Overweight or Obesity During a Structured 12-Week Behavioral Weight Management Intervention

Q: What populations were studied and what intervention did they receive?

Adults aged 50+ participated and completed assessments at baseline and after finishing a structured 12-week behavioral weight-management intervention.

Q: How did weight bias internalization change after the 12-week intervention?

Scores on weight bias internalization decreased significantly from baseline to post-intervention (all p < 0.05).

Q: What were the observed changes in eating-related measures?

Shape concern and binge eating scores decreased after the intervention, while the EDE-Q restraint subscale increased by an adjusted mean of 1.77 units.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by WPS_1790064749

Weight stigma poses a persistent barrier for adults with overweight or obesity seeking weight loss, yet limited evidence addresses how stigma-related beliefs and eating behaviors evolve in middle-aged and older populations. Adults aged 50+ completed weight stigma, weight bias internalization, the EDE-Q, and binge eating measures at baseline and after completing a structured 12-week behavioral weight-loss intervention.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Obesity Science & Practice Changes to Weight Bias Internalization and Eating Behaviors in Adults Aged 50þ With Overweight or Obesity During a Structured 12‐Week Behavioral Weight Management Intervention Erica Howes | Kristen R. Howard | Eleni Laskaridou | Molly Parker | Austin D'Angelo | Jenna Warnock | Cameron Heidary | Sienna Lambert | Ved Thakur | Brenda M. Davy Virginia Tech Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA Correspondence: Brenda M. Davy ([bdavy@vt.edu](bdavy@vt.edu)) Received: 13 June 2025 | Revised: 11 November 2025 | Accepted: 17 December 2025 Keywords: disordered eating | weight management | weight stigma ABSTRACT Background: Weight stigma is a prevalent issue among individuals with overweight and obesity pursuing weight loss; however, few studies have examined this issue in middle‐aged and older adults. Treatment‐seeking populations may also be at risk of disordered eating or excess concern about weight and shape; thus, it is important to evaluate how these parameters may changeover the course of a weight loss intervention. Methods: Adults aged 50+ (n = 83; 60 F, 23 M) completed measures of experiences of weight stigma, weight bias internalization (WBIS‐M), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE‐Q), and binge eating (BES) at baseline and after completion of a structured 12‐week behavioral weight loss intervention. Results: Forty‐five percent of participants reported previous experiences of weight stigma at baseline through either teasing, unfair treatment, or discrimination. At baseline, the mean WBIS‐M score was 3.37 (SD 1.03). From baseline to post‐intervention, there were decreases (all p < 0.05) in WBIS‐M scores (adjusted mean difference −0.46), scores on the shape concern subscale of the EDE‐Q (adjusted mean difference −0.75), and BES scores (adjusted mean difference −3.75) . Scores on the restraint subscale of the EDE‐Q increased by an adjusted mean of 1.77 units. Conclusions: These findings suggest that participating in a structured behavioral weight loss program may have beneficial effects on weight bias, body shape concern, and binge eating, consistent with previous findings in weight management interventions in younger populations. Future work is needed to determine if changes to weight bias internalization and eating behaviors persist during weight loss maintenance. 1 | Introduction Weight bias and stigma are common issues faced by individuals with overweight and obesity pursuing weight loss [1] . Weight bias consists of negative stereotypes and characteristics attributed to people with higher body weights [2] . Many individuals and groups exhibit high levels of weight bias, which can lead to pervasive stigma about obesity [3] . Weight stigma can include both overt discrimination by others on the basis of body shape or size, as well as weight self‐stigma, in which negative stereotypes about weight are internalized by people with obesity [2] . Weight self‐stigma is of particular importance to weight management because it can affect participant experiences with This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2026 The Author(s) . Obesity Science & Practice published by World Obesity and The Obesity Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Obesity Science & Practice, 2026; 12:e70110 1 of 8 [https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.70110](https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.70110) weight management programs. Some evidence suggests that high levels of weight bias internalization (WBI) can lead to higher program attrition [4], though other studies have more mixed findings regarding the impact of weight self‐stigma on program engagement and outcomes [5] . Having higher levels of WBI before starting a weight manag

FAQs

What populations were studied and what intervention did they receive?

Adults aged 50+ participated and completed assessments at baseline and after finishing a structured 12-week behavioral weight-management intervention.

How did weight bias internalization change after the 12-week intervention?

Scores on weight bias internalization decreased significantly from baseline to post-intervention (all p < 0.05).

What were the observed changes in eating-related measures?

Shape concern and binge eating scores decreased after the intervention, while the EDE-Q restraint subscale increased by an adjusted mean of 1.77 units.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by WPS_1790064749