IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v335y2023ics0277953623005890.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Associations between weight discrimination and the use of potentially harmful dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Raffoul, Amanda
  • Beccia, Ariel L.
  • Jackson, Destiny A.
  • Sarda, Vishnudas
  • Hart, Jaime E.
  • Chavarro, Jorge E.
  • Austin, S. Bryn

Abstract

The dietary supplements industry disproportionately markets potentially harmful products promising weight loss, cleansing/detoxing, and boosted energy and immunity to women. The COVID-19 pandemic heightened consumer concerns around health and body weight, which may have increased women's risks of using supplements, particularly if they had a higher weight and experienced weight discrimination. This study aimed to estimate inequities in prevalence and change in use of weight-loss, cleanse/detox, immunity, and energy supplements in the first year of the pandemic and to assess the extent to which the relationship between weight and supplement use differs across discrimination experiences. We drew upon longitudinal data from cisgender women in the U.S. COVID-19 Pandemic Substudy of the Nurses' Health Study II and 3 and Growing Up Today Study cohorts, collected over 5 waves from April/May 2020 to April 2021 (N = 51,814). Modified Poisson generalized estimating equation models, adjusted for age, cohort, race/ethnicity, wave, and Census region, estimated the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) between weight status and weight discrimination on prevalence of supplement use. Weight status categories were derived from body mass index (BMI), and weight discrimination was assessed using the attributions item of the Everyday Discrimination Scale. Baseline prevalence of supplement use was 2.7% for weight-loss, 3.3% for cleanse/detox, 4.2% for energy, and 22.6% for immune. Respondents with BMIs of 25–29.9 kg/m2 and 30–34.9 kg/m2 who experienced weight discrimination had RERI values of 0.89 (95% CI 0.14, 1.65) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.25, 1.75) for weight-loss and 0.57 (95% CI 0.13, 1.02) and 0.60 (95% CI 0.19, 1.01) for energy supplements, respectively, indicating this group had excess risk of use compared to lower BMI respondents who experienced no weight discrimination. The findings demonstrate the disproportionate impact of weight discrimination on use of potentially harmful supplements among cisgender women with higher weights during the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Raffoul, Amanda & Beccia, Ariel L. & Jackson, Destiny A. & Sarda, Vishnudas & Hart, Jaime E. & Chavarro, Jorge E. & Austin, S. Bryn, 2023. "Associations between weight discrimination and the use of potentially harmful dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:335:y:2023:i:c:s0277953623005890
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116232
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953623005890
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116232?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zoe Fewell & M. A. Hernan & F. Wolfe & K. Tilling & H. Choi & J. A. C. Sterne, 2004. "Controlling for time-dependent confounding using marginal structural models," United Kingdom Stata Users' Group Meetings 2004 13, Stata Users Group.
    2. Zoe Fewell & Frederick Wolfe & Hyon Choi & Miguel A. Hernán & Kate Tilling & Jonathan A. C. Sterne, 2004. "Controlling for time-dependent confounding using marginal structural models," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 4(4), pages 402-420, December.
    3. Jacob Meyer & Cillian McDowell & Jeni Lansing & Cassandra Brower & Lee Smith & Mark Tully & Matthew Herring, 2020. "Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Response to COVID-19 and Their Associations with Mental Health in 3052 US Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-13, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Allison Milner & Yamna Taouk & George Disney & Zoe Aitken & Jerome Rachele & Anne Kavanagh, 2018. "Employment predictors of exit from work among workers with disabilities: A survival analysis from the household income labour dynamics in Australia survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Erica Moodie & D. Stephens, 2011. "Marginal Structural Models: unbiased estimation for longitudinal studies," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 56(1), pages 117-119, February.
    3. Nam Kyoon N. Kim & Simon C. Parker, 0. "Entrepreneurial homeworkers," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-25.
    4. Stefania Fontana & Giorgio d’Agostino, 2024. "Anti-mafia policies and public goods in Italy," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 198(3), pages 493-529, March.
    5. Nam Kyoon N. Kim & Simon C. Parker, 2021. "Entrepreneurial homeworkers," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 1427-1451, October.
    6. Matteo Prato & Fabrizio Ferraro, 2018. "Starstruck: How Hiring High-Status Employees Affects Incumbents’ Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(5), pages 755-774, October.
    7. Do, D. Phuong & Wang, Lu & Elliott, Michael R., 2013. "Investigating the relationship between neighborhood poverty and mortality risk: A marginal structural modeling approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 58-66.
    8. Xiao, Jing, 2018. "Post-acquisition dynamics of technology start-ups: drawing the temporal boundaries of post-acquisition restructuring process," Papers in Innovation Studies 2018/12, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    9. Geraldine A. Wu, 2012. "The Effect of Going Public on Innovative Productivity and Exploratory Search," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(4), pages 928-950, August.
    10. Jing Xiao, 2015. "The effects of acquisition on the growth of new technology-based firms: Do different types of acquirers matter?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 487-504, October.
    11. Buenstorf, Guido, 2009. "Is commercialization good or bad for science? Individual-level evidence from the Max Planck Society," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 281-292, March.
    12. Elena Pirani & Silvana Salvini, 2014. "Is temporary employment damaging to health? A longitudinal study on Italian workers," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2014_08, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    13. Yana Kucheva, 2014. "The Receipt of Subsidized Housing across Generations," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(6), pages 841-871, December.
    14. Mudrazija, Stipica & Butrica, Barbara A., 2023. "How does debt shape health outcomes for older Americans?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 329(C).
    15. Li, Ang & Baker, Emma & Bentley, Rebecca, 2022. "Understanding the mental health effects of instability in the private rental sector: A longitudinal analysis of a national cohort," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    16. Yana Kucheva, 2018. "Subsidized Housing and the Transition to Adulthood," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(2), pages 617-642, April.
    17. Pirani, Elena & Salvini, Silvana, 2015. "Is temporary employment damaging to health? A longitudinal study on Italian workers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 121-131.
    18. Jeong-Hui Park & Eunhye Yoo & Youngdeok Kim & Jung-Min Lee, 2021. "What Happened Pre- and during COVID-19 in South Korea? Comparing Physical Activity, Sleep Time, and Body Weight Status," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-13, May.
    19. Raquel Lara & Martha Fernández-Daza & Sara Zabarain-Cogollo & María Angustias Olivencia-Carrión & Manuel Jiménez-Torres & María Demelza Olivencia-Carrión & Adelaida Ogallar-Blanco & Débora Godoy-Izqui, 2021. "Active Coping and Anxiety Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spanish Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    20. Victoria Blom & Amanda Lönn & Björn Ekblom & Lena V. Kallings & Daniel Väisänen & Erik Hemmingsson & Gunnar Andersson & Peter Wallin & Andreas Stenling & Örjan Ekblom & Magnus Lindwall & Jane Salier E, 2021. "Lifestyle Habits and Mental Health in Light of the Two COVID-19 Pandemic Waves in Sweden, 2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-19, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:335:y:2023:i:c:s0277953623005890. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.