Myth of the stigmatized and unhappy overweight? Overweight and life satisfaction of Polish adults

Myth of the stigmatized and unhappy overweight?

 Overweight and life satisfaction of Polish adults.

• Obesity  and overweight in most countries of Europe, and in Poland, show rising trends,  and became of the most important issues of contemporary social policy. The prevalence of obesity and overweight  and associated illnesses are commonly evaluated from states’ perspective with focus on the costs of health services, economic productivity etc. At the level of society obese or overweight individuals face stigmatization and discrimination. The consequences of obesity for health, appearance or self-esteem are well established and it has been assumed that individuals well-being will be compromised as a result.  However the impact on psychological well-being is not clear. The paper examines the link between obesity and well-being among Polish adults . It is commonly assumed that obese people, experience poor psychological well-being.  Individuals are expected to experience undesired physical or social consequences of their weight that diminish their quality of life in one or more areas.
• The objective of the paper is to clarify the associations between  obesity/ overweight and happiness, life satisfaction, and eudemonia in Poland.
• The data were collected for the nation-representative sample survey “Diagnoza Społeczna 2011” (24 453 respondents). The main measure of weight was body mass index (BMI).
• The main questions to be answered: Are obese and overweight individuals less happy, (satisfied with their life) than underweight or normal weight people?  Do overweight/obese individuals suffer more from depression?  What is the association between BMI level and satisfaction with:  health, appearance, job, income, family, social relations, sexual life, achievements, education?