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- Title
Weight and Body Image Perceptions in Nutrition and Dietetics University Students.
- Authors
Herzig, Lisa; Levitt, Jamie; Watson, Kaitlynn; George, Gretchen L.
- Abstract
Background and Purpose: Stereotypical and prejudicial attitudes towards people considered overweight or obese are documented in professionals ranging from physicians, nurses, fitness and general nutrition professionals, and registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN) and may introduce barriers to equitable care. To identify the prevalence of anti-fat attitudes (AFA); fat phobia (FPS); and body appreciation scores (BA) in nutrition and dietetics' students (ND) and non-nutrition and dietetics' students (NND) through a cross- sectional design. Methods: During 2018, students (n=297) from two California State Universities completed a survey including three validated instruments. Additionally, height, weight, and waist circumference were collected using NHANES procedures. A series of ANCOVA's and correlation coefficients were computed. Results: Significant differences existed in BA between ND (M=3.61, SD=0.66) and NND students (M=3.81, SD=0.70); t(288) = 2.49, p=0.013. Scores indicated existing anti- fat attitudes and fat phobia. Significant positive correlations existed between FPS and anthropometrics. Weight related perceptions were identified. Conclusion: A need exists for a fundamental evidence-based training specifically focused on knowledge and awareness related to health metrics and social justice pedagogy to help RDN work unbiasedly with patients of all shapes.
- Subjects
CALIFORNIA; OBESITY &; psychology; STATISTICS; STATURE; BODY weight; PSYCHOLOGY of college students; ANALYSIS of variance; DIETITIANS; HEALTH occupations students; CROSS-sectional method; ANTHROPOMETRY; SOCIAL stigma; UNIVERSITIES &; colleges; WAIST circumference; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; QUESTIONNAIRES; CHI-squared test; STUDENT attitudes; ATTITUDES toward obesity; DATA analysis; STATISTICAL correlation; BODY mass index; DATA analysis software; BODY image
- Publication
Californian Journal of Health Promotion, 2021, Vol 19, Issue 1, p64
- ISSN
1545-8717
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.32398/cjhp.v19i1.2651