Background: The workplace is one of many areas of life where obese people are unfairly treated. According to the literature obese women are particularly susceptible to discrimination in employment. There is a lack of polish researches of this subject.
Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze personal, subjective experiences related to weight bias and discrimination against obese people in the workplace of obese Polish women.
Material and methods: The study was carried out in a hospital clinic for obesity management. A total of 420 women with BMI>30, aged 21 to 72, participated in group interviews focused on the weight bias and discrimination against obese people in the workplace.
Results: In the group of clinically obese women, 5.3% of subjects had experienced employment discrimination and 10.5% had been victims of verbal and social abuse in the workplace. The most common psycho-physical consequences of the weight stigma were emotional problems, lack of motivation and overeating in response to stress.
Conclusions: Weight-based discrimination in the workplace poses a problem in Poland. The weight stigma and occupational discrimination lead to psycho-physical discomfort which exacerbates overeating and obesity.