Ready to treat patients with obesity? Evaluation of undergraduate students’ body image, disordered eating attitudes & behaviors, and anti-fat attitudes

Abstract

Weight bias exerts an adverse impact on the overall health and well-being. This study examined dieting behaviors, the effect of the BMI chart in one’s body perceptions by using the photographic figure rating scale, and explicit weight bias among university students (N = 192) in different career-focused disciplines such as allied health programs. Participants tended to select larger photographic figures when asked to choose an image that represents a healthy, an overweight, and an obesity figure without viewing the BMI chart. Results showed no significant differences in anti-fat attitudes between different career-focused groups. While gender played a significant role in anti-fat attitudes, weight status influenced participants’ fear of becoming fat. To a similar degree across career paths, weight bias might evenly exist. Using the BMI chart to determine one’s weight status might create inconsistent body perceptions, which may lead to weight stigmatized attitudes toward individuals labeled as overweight or obesity.

Keywords

• weight bias
• body perceptions
• body image
• BMI