Does labeling obesity as a disease backfire? (Psychology Today, U.S. News, Huffington Post and other outlets)
January 30, 2014
Research by Crystal Hoyt, associate professor of leadership studies and psychology, Jeni Burnette, assistant professor of psychology, and Lisa Auster-Gussman, '13, sheds light on the implications of labeling obesity as a disease.
“Considering that obesity is a crucial public-health issue, a more nuanced understanding of the impact of an ‘obesity is a disease’ message has significant implications for patient-level and policy-level outcomes," says Hoyt.
The research was highlighted in Psychology Today, U.S. News, Huffington Post, Science Daily, and other outlets. Their findings were published online Jan. 24 in the journal Psychological Science.