Professor David Sánchez-Carracedo presents at ICED 2025 the impact of weight stigma on the mental health of Spanish adolescents
Professor David Sánchez-Carracedo, from the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), presented the study Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: A Longitudinal Study in Spanish Adolescents at the International Congress on Eating Disorders (ICED) 2025, held in San Antonio, Texas (USA), on May 30th, during a dedicated session on stigma.
The study, conducted in collaboration with Salomé Tárrega, Albert Fornieles-Deu, Dimitra Anastasiadou, and Clara Almazán, presents the first data on sources and prevalence of weight stigma experiences and weight bias internalization (WBI) in a representative sample of adolescents in Spain, as well as the negative impact of WBI on the development of disordered eating over a two-year period.
The findings reveal a high prevalence of weight stigma in the Spanish adolescent population, with rates nearing 100% for weight-related stigma experiences and over 80% for high levels of WBI, particularly among girls with obesity.
WBI significantly predicted an increased risk of developing disordered eating behaviors (desire to lose weight, body dissatisfaction, binge eating, and risk of eating disorders) two years later, especially among girls, regardless of weight status, age (12–16 years), family background, educational level, previous stigma experiences, and baseline levels of disordered eating.
The results confirm that weight stigma among adolescents is a serious public health concern, including in Spain, and highlight the need for multi-level interventions.