Words are heavy: Weight-related terminology preferences are associated with larger-bodied people’s health behaviors and beliefs

Abstract

Clinicians and researchers may struggle with appropriate terminology when discussing body size. Pathologizing larger bodies has led to use of medicalized terms. Previous studies have focused on terminology preferences among participants not in larger bodies, leaving out those most affected by the terminology. This study examined whether body appreciation, eating disorder symptoms, recovery status, and beliefs about health and weight influence larger-bodied participants’ terminology preferences. We recruited two groups: Sample 1 (N = 882) via social media and Sample 2 (N = 383) from an online crowdsourcing platform. Sample 1 preferred “in a larger body” and “fat,” while Sample 2 favored “overweight” and “curvy.” Both groups least preferred person-first language (e.g., “person with overweight/obesity”). In Sample 1, participants recovered from eating disorders were more likely to choose “fat” than those who were currently struggling. Those who preferred “fat” had the highest body appreciation, highest critical health awareness, lowest eating disorder symptoms, lowest weight bias internalization, and lowest weight controllability beliefs. In Sample 2, preferring medicalized terms was associated with lower critical health awareness and higher weight controllability beliefs. These findings suggest that fat-related and weight-neutral terms may be associated with more positive outcomes, challenging advocacy for person-first medicalized language.