An examination of the construction of meanings for obesity in Ireland

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dc.check.chapterOfThesis9
dc.check.date10000-01-01
dc.check.embargoformatE-thesis on CORA onlyen
dc.check.infoPlease note that Chapter 9 (pp. 300-335) of this thesis is currently unavailable due to a restriction requested by the author.en
dc.check.opt-outNoen
dc.check.reasonThis thesis is due for publication or the author is actively seeking to publish this materialen
dc.contributor.advisorMcCarthy, Maryen
dc.contributor.authorDe Brún, Aoife
dc.contributor.funderHealth Research Boarden
dc.contributor.funderDepartment of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Irelanden
dc.date.accessioned2014-02-19T14:59:57Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.date.submitted2013
dc.description.abstractObesity has been defined as a consequence of energy imbalance, where energy intake exceeds energy expenditure and results in a build-up of adipose tissue. However, this scientific definition masks the complicated social meanings associated with the condition. This research investigated the construction of meaning around obesity at various levels of inquiry to inform how obesity is portrayed and understood in Ireland. A multi-paradigmatic approach was adopted, drawing on theory and methods from psychology and sociology and an analytical framework combining the Common Sense Model and framing theory was employed. In order to examine the exo-level meanings of obesity, content analysis was performed on two media data sets (n=479, n=346) and a thematic analysis was also performed on the multiple newspaper sample (n=346). At the micro-level, obesity discourses were investigated via the thematic analysis of comments sampled from an online message board. Finally, an online survey assessed individual-level beliefs and understandings of obesity. The media analysis revealed that individual blame for obesity was pervasive and the behavioural frame was dominant. A significant increase in attention to obesity over time was observed, manifestations of weight stigma were common, and there was an emotive discourse of blame directed towards the parents of obese children. The micro-level analysis provided insight into the weight-based stigma in society and a clear set of negative ‘default’ judgements accompanied the obese label. The survey analysis confirmed that the behavioural frame was the dominant means of understanding obesity. One of the strengths of this thesis is the link created between framing and the Common Sense Model in the development of an analytical framework for application in the examination of health/illness representations. This approach helped to ascertain the extent of the pervasive biomedical and individual blame discourse on obesity, which establishes the basis for the stigmatisation of obese persons.en
dc.description.sponsorshipHealth Research Board (HRC/2007/13);en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationDe Brún, A. 2013. An examination of the construction of meanings for obesity in Ireland. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/1397
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2013, Aoife De Brúnen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/en
dc.subjectMediaen
dc.subjectWeighten
dc.subjectSocial mediaen
dc.subjectSocial construction of meaningen
dc.subject.lcshObesityen
dc.thesis.opt-outtrue
dc.titleAn examination of the construction of meanings for obesity in Irelanden
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD (Commerce)en
ucc.workflow.supervisorm.mccarthy@ucc.ie
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