The Portrayal of Obesity in UK National Newspapers

Obesity is a major medical health challenge; however, the associated stigma represents a harmful and obstructive obstacle to treatment. The study purpose was to explore the portrayal of obesity in UK national newspapers. A purposive sample of 312 editions (weekday: n = 208; weekend: n = 104) from six newspapers (3 broadsheet; 3 tabloid) was analyzed. All text related to obesity was content analyzed. In total 349 articles were analyzed. Weight stigmatization and the portrayal of overweight and obesity as a moral digression were evident. Findings demonstrate that UK national newspapers attribute obesity to controllable causes. Caricatured portrayals of overweight and obesity was evident and may play a pivotal role in the formation and maintenance of anti-obesity attitudes.