Cassiano, G.S.C., Carvalho-Ferreira, J.P., Buckland, N. orcid.org/0000-0002-3667-6438 et al. (1 more author) (2021) Do registered dietitians, nutrition students, and laypeople perceive individuals with obesity differently? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (17). 8925.
Abstract
(1) Background: Obesity is associated with significant social consequences, and individuals with obesity are regularly affected by weight-related stigmatization experiences. This study compares antifat attitudes among registered dietitians (RD), nutrition students, and laypeople and assesses which factors related to the perceived causes of obesity influence these attitudes. (2) Methods: An online survey was conducted in Brazil with RD (n = 336), nutrition students (n = 300), and laypeople (n = 403) with questionnaires assessing antifat attitudes and perceived causes of obesity. (3) Results: All groups presented low antifat attitudes. Minor differences in antifat attitudes were found among the three groups. Compared to RDs and nutrition students, laypeople presented higher Weight Control/Blame scores, but with a small effect size (η2 = 0.01). Weight bias was predicted by age, sex, and body mass index. External, social, and financial factors were not perceived to be very important in the development of obesity by RD and students. (4) Conclusions: Since slight differences were seen among RD and students compared to laypeople, and some perceptions of the causes of obesity indicate a stigmatized view. It is essential to place a greater focus on educating and updating these health professionals and students about weight stigma and its consequences for the mental and physical health of individuals.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | weight bias; weight stigma; antifat attitudes; counseling; antiobesity; stigma; causes of obesity |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 26 Aug 2021 08:16 |
Last Modified: | 26 Aug 2021 19:42 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI AG |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/ijerph18178925 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:177449 |