Weight stigma and healthcare avoidance among women with obesity: The moderating roles of body image-related psychological inflexibility and cognitive fusion

Women who have obesity engage in healthcare avoidance at a higher rate than women in the normal weight range. Body mass index (BMI) and weight stigma are positively correlated and women who have obesity report weight-related concerns as reasons for healthcare avoidance. The current study examined whether body-image related psychological inflexibility and cognitive fusion moderate the relationship between weight-related stigma and healthcare avoidance. Female participants with obesity (n = 261) were recruited on Prolific and completed surveys online. Results showed that inflexibility and cognitive fusion moderated the relationship between stigma and healthcare avoidance. Future studies could examine the effectiveness of interventions targeting psychological inflexibility and fusion to decrease healthcare avoidance. There is also a clear need to target weight bias within society, healthcare systems, and healthcare providers.