title: Do media portrayals of obesity influence support for weight-related medical policy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of nonstigmatizing visual portrayals of obesity on support for a discriminatory weight-based medical policy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants read an online news story about a policy to deny fertility treatment to obese women that was accompanied by a nonstigmatizing, stigmatizing, or no image of an obese couple. A balanced discussion of the policy was presented, with information both questioning the policy as discriminatory and supporting the policy because of weight-related medical complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results revealed that participants who viewed the nonstigmatizing image were less supportive of the policy to deny obese women fertility treatment and recommended the policy less strongly than participants who viewed the stigmatizing image. Furthermore, weaker perceptions of medical risk mediated the effect of the nonstigmatizing image on policy ratings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate that simply eliminating stigmatizing media portrayals of obesity may help reduce bias.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Yale University.
authors.forename: Paula M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Brochu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Yale University.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Pearl
authors.affiliation: Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University.
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Puhl
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Yale University.
authors.forename: Kelly D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Brownell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D013240:Stereotyping; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult