Title:Study examines GLP-1 stigma

In a new study exploring stigma associated with the use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, women who lost weight using GLP-1 medications were judged more harshly than those who lost weight through diet and exercise, with negative reactions driven largely by beliefs that medication-assisted weight loss is a “shortcut.” The study also found higher levels of stigma when the women in sample scenarios were portrayed as white rather than Black.

The findings, published this April in the American Psychological Association’s journal Stigma and Health, highlight how social narratives about “acceptable” weight loss strategies can shape attitudes toward women with obesity, even when the weight loss is clinically significant.

More than 100 million people in America are clinically eligible to use GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound, for weight loss, and approximately 18 percent of U.S. adults are currently using or have previously used a GLP-1 drug.

“GLP-1 medications can offer meaningful health benefits for people with obesity, but many patients report feeling shame and guilt for using them,” said social psychologist Stacy Post, a postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Our results show that the ‘easy way out’ perception does more than spark casual criticism. It can translate into measurable stigma, including fat phobia and a desire for social distance.”