And the least skeptical towards advertising are… Overweight Women - T...

The study investigates theinfluence of body weight on skepticism towards advertising and the roles ofself-esteem and gender in the relationship. Results of a survey of 481 subjectswho were selected based on body weight, gender, and age are reported. Mediationanalyses and a moderated mediation analysis demonstrate that body weight has adirect influence on the level of skepticism towards advertising, thatself-esteem partially mediates the relationship, and that gender moderates themediation. We found a mediation effect of self-esteem on the relation betweenbody weight and skepticism towards advertising only among females, whereas nosuch mediation exists among males. Results further indicate that overweightwomen show the lowest levels of skepticism towards advertising among allsubjects. Implications for consumers and public policy are discussed and the study’slimitations are addressed.