Obesity discrimination: it’s going up in the U.S., it’s worse for women, and it’s almost as common as racial discrimination, according to an article in USA Today. The report is based on information from two new studies.

One of the studies is in the journal, Obesity . It finds discrimination based on weight has gone up 66 percent in the past 10 years – up from about 7 to 12 percent of adults in the U.S.

The second study is from the International Journal of Obesity. It shows the problem is common both at work and in personal environments, and is sometimes more common than gender or race discrimination. Among the severely obese, about 28 percent of men and 45 percent of women say they have been discriminated against because of their weight.

Some examples of discrimination at work include being fired, denied a job or promotion because of your weight. And outside the workplace, it can be insults, abuse, and harassment from others.

The research is based on surveys of more than 2,000 U.S. adults in 1995-96 and 2005-06.

Right now, there are no federal laws against weight discrimination.

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