title: A content analysis of weight stigmatization in popular television programming for adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study provides updated information regarding the prevalence and characteristics of weight stigma in popular adolescent television programming, using a sample of favorite shows named by diverse adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants in a large, population-based study of Minnesota adolescents (N = 2,793, mean age = 14.4) listed their top three favorite television shows. A coding instrument was developed to analyze randomly selected episodes from the most popular 10 programs. Weight-stigmatizing incidents were compared across television show characteristics and characters' gender and weight status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Half (50%) of the 30 episodes analyzed contained at least one weight-stigmatizing incident. Both youth- and adult-targeted shows contained weight-stigmatizing comments, but the percent of these comments was much higher for youth-targeted (55.6%) than general audience-targeted shows (8.3%). Male characters were more likely than females to engage in (72.7% vs. 27.3%), and be the targets of, weight stigma (63.6% vs. 36.4%), and there was no difference in the amount of weight stigmatizing directed at average weight females compared to overweight females. Targets of these instances showed a negative response in only about one-third of cases, but audience laughter followed 40.9% of cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The portrayal of weight stigmatization on popular television shows-including targeting women of average weight-sends signals to adolescents about the wide acceptability of this behavior and the expected response, which may be harmful. Prevention of weight stigmatization should take a multi-faceted approach and include the media. Future research should explore the impact that weight-related stigma in television content has on viewers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.|Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Marla E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carlson-McGuire
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Gollust
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neumark-Sztainer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008910:Minnesota; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012737:Sex Factors; D057545:Social Stigma; D013240:Stereotyping; D013690:Television
keywords: adolescents; media exposure; weight stigmatization; weight teasing