Twitter and Communicating Stigma about Medications to Treat Obesity

Bibliographic Data

ID21617102
AuthorsTreah Haggerty (0000-0001-8327-686X, West Virginia University, corresponding author), Cara L Sedney (0000-0003-1290-7083, West Virginia University), Abigail Cowher (0009-0006-3608-8165, West Virginia University), Dylan Holland (West Virginia University), Laura Davisson (0000-0003-2863-9845, West Virginia University), Patricia Dekeseredy (0000-0001-6083-5358, West Virginia University)
Year2023
Volume38
Issue14
Pages3238-3242
Publication date2023-12-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1041-0236 • E-ISSN: 1532-7027
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10410236.2022.2144303
PMID36373192
OpenAlexW4308957200
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited30

In North America, stigma remains a significant barrier to treating obesity. Many candidates for medical weight management do not seek treatment, possibly related to anticipated and internalized stigma and weight bias. Pharmacologic treatment of obesity remains highly stigmatized, despite advances in drug development and medical weight management programs. People contemplating medical weight management are likely to see information about "diet pills" on social media sites, such as Twitter. However, Twitter has been found to contain false and stigmatizing information. This study examines a sample of 2170 Tweets to better understand the content through the lens of obesity stigma. Tweets were collected over a seven-day period containing general terms such as "diet pills," "weight loss pills," or "fat burner" using the Twitter advanced search option. The analysis revealed that almost 50% of Tweets containing "diet pills" contained stigmatizing language. The most common elements of stigma communication were taking personal blame for obesity and the perils associated with taking medications for weight loss. Further analysis revealed sub-themes such as profiting from social pressures to lose weight, distrust of physicians and the practice of obesity medicine, lack of efficacy of medications, and the use of social media to disseminate stigma. Most Tweets were from personal accounts followed by direct sales of weight loss supplements. The findings have potential implications for medically supervised weight management programs and may drive the need for more evidence-based social media messaging around obesity related healthcare

Blame · Family medicine · Misinformation · Obesity · Overweight · Pill · Political science · Psychiatry · Social media · Social stigma · Weight loss · Weight management · Weight stigma · Empathy and Medical Education · Medicine · Nursing · Obesity and Health Practices · Psychology · Social Media in Health Education