Weight bias among public health trainees.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore explicit beliefs about the controllability of obesity and the internalisation of negative weight-related stereotypes among public health trainees. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey assessing explicit beliefs about the controllability of obesity using the Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale (BAOP) and internalisation of weight bias using the Modified Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS-M). Bivariate associations between BAOP and WBIS-M scores and demographic characteristics were examined using t tests or ANOVA with post hoc Tukey's tests. SETTING: School of Public Health at a large, Midwestern University. PARTICIPANTS: Public health students (n 322). RESULTS: Relative to students who identified as male, those who identified as female had a stronger belief that obesity is not within the control of the individual (P = 0·03), yet had more internalisation of weight bias (P < 0·01). Greater weight bias internalisation was also seen among students who perceived themselves to be of a higher weight status (P < 0·001) and those who were at risk for food insecurity (P < 0·01). CONCLUSIONS: Public health trainees may be more attuned to the complexities of weight relative to trainees in other health-related fields, but are still susceptible to internalisation of negative weight-related stereotypes.