I HAVE A FAT BODY, WHAT NOW? EXPERIENCES OF OBESE WOMEN FOLLOWING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY, NON-PRESCRIPTIVE INTERVENTION, BASED ON THE HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE® APPROACH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12957/demetra.2016.22501Keywords:
Obesity. Non-Prescriptive Intervention. Health at Every Size. Body Image. Qualitative Inquiry.Abstract
The present study qualitatively analyzed the perception of obese women on having a fat body and how they experienced and were impacted by this body condition before and after participating in a non-prescriptive, multidisciplinary intervention, based on the Health at Every Size® approach. A prospective 1-year quasi-experimental clinical trial was conducted. Initially, 30 participants were recruited; 14 concluded the intervention. Qualitative data were collected by conducting focus groups and semi-structured individual interviews. From these data, three interpretative axes were created: 1) impact of the fat body; 2) opinions on the body itself and the docility of the fat body and; 3) movement of the body. Our participants reported that the fat body had an impact on the construction of aspects of their personality, reducing, for example, possibilities of bonding and social interactions. Based on the proposed intervention stimuli, according to the perceptions of the participants, these aspects were positively affected. The participants also reported having suffered bullying and discrimination because of their bodies. After exposure to the strategies of this intervention, participants reported feeling more empowered to deal with expectations about their bodies and more comfortable with their current body condition. Finally, participants reported shifting from negative experiences associated with body movement to positive experiences, thus feeling motivated to add more physical activity into their routines, besides gaining physiological and psychological benefits.
DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2016.22501
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