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Antifat attitudes in a sample of women with eating disorders
Nutrición hospitalaria
One of the main problems of patients with eating disorders is their body dissatisfaction. Although these individuals usually are not satisfied with their bodies there are not many investigations that focus on how these patients see people with real weight problems. For this reason, in this study it is analyzed how women with eating disorders see obese people. A total of 104 participants (35 with anorexia nervosa, 28 with bulimia nervosa, 16 with eating disorder not otherwise specified and 25 controls) were selected to conduct the study. To measure anti-fat attitudes the Spanish version of the Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire was used. To measure if participants had body dissatisfaction it was used the Spanish versions of the Body Shape Questionnaire. Finally, anthropometric measures (height and weight) were taken in order to calculate the BMI (kg/m(2)), as well as some socio-demographic information. It was found that participants with bulimia nervosa showed scores higher on antifat a...
Digesting Antifat Attitudes: Locus of Control and Social Dominance Orientation
Defined as the faulty assumptions about and general dislike of heavy individuals, antifat attitudes are pervasive and pose numerous consequences for the health of people who are overweight. Despite the continual rise of obesity rates in the United States, there is a paucity of research examining the underlying psychosocial factors associated with antifat attitudes. This study used hierarchical regression to examine the unique contri- butions of weight and health locus of control and social dominance orientation to antifat attitudes in a mixed sample (N 630) of community members and college students after controlling for fear of becoming overweight and belief in the controllability of weight. Results revealed that health locus of control and social dominance orientation contributed uniquely and positively to antifat attitudes, with the complete model explaining 24% of the variance. Based on these results and previous literature, impli- cations for practice and research are discussed.
2008
Obesity is defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as "an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass" (2). Other definitions emphasize obesity as body weight above a standard e.g.(3), and/or link it to health risk e.g.(4). While obesity has historically been considered a moral, cosmetic, and political issue (5,6), recent findings on its association with adverse health outcomes have made it a condition of medical and public health concern (7,8); and the World Health Organization now calls obesity a "diet related chronic disease" (9). The direct measurement of body fat is complex, which has resulted in widespread use of a more indirect measure-the body mass index (BMI) (3,4,4a). BMI is the ratio of weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in metres squared). In adults, BMIs between 20 and 24.9 are considered normal weight; 25 to 29.9 overweight and 30 or greater obese (10). The obesity category is further divided into Class I (BMI 30.0 to 34.9); Class II (BMI 35.0 to 39.9) and Class III (BMI 40 or more) (11). In Canada appropriate reference values are now noted on pediatric growth charts (4), and children are typically classified as obese if their BMI is above the 95 th percentile (12). BMI is a relatively easy and standardized method that is well suited for describing large populations (3, 13); however problems have been noted with its use in children (13,14), in some ethnic groups, some athletes, and in those at the extremes of the height distribution (4a,13-16). The relationship between BMI and health status is imperfect, particularly at the individual level (3,4a,13,17,18). Definitions for weight categories have varied across studies, making valid comparisons imperfect (3,4,19) and official cut-points have also changed, adding to the confusion (7). Kim and Popkin (2006) note that the "definition of optimal BMI may need to be continuously challenged" (20, p63) as science advances. Prevalence While many estimates of obesity prevalence have been based on self or parent reports of weight and height, which are known to be biased (22), prevalence estimates are increasingly based on direct measurements in representative samples (7). Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), which used direct measurement on a sample of more than 21,000 Canadians in 2004, showed that 36% of Canadian adults (age 18+) were overweight, and 23% were obese (about 5.5 million) (8,11). 15.2% of Canadian adults had a BMI in Class I; 5.1% were in Class II, and 2.7%, in Class III (11). Among Canadian children and adolescents aged 2-17 years, 18% were overweight and about 8% were obese in 2004 (21).
Do Antifat Attitudes Predict Antifat Behaviors?
Obesity, 2008
objective: The aim of this study was to investigate discrimination against obese job candidates, and to examine whether widely used measures of implicit and explicit antifat attitudes are related to or predict antifat discrimination. Methods and Procedures: One hundred university students made job candidate suitability ratings of resumes submitted for a bogus managerial position. Photos attached to each resume portrayed the job candidate as either obese or normal weight, by using pre-and postprocedure photos of individuals who had undergone bariatric surgery. To assess discrimination, job candidates' ratings were compared between obese and normal-weight targets. Implicit and explicit antifat attitudes were also assessed. Results: Participants rated obese job candidates as having less leadership potential, as less likely to succeed, and as less likely to be employed than normal-weight candidates. Obese candidates were also given a lower starting salary and ranked as less qualified overall than candidates portrayed as normal weight. Neither implicit nor explicit antifat attitude measures were significantly related to antifat discrimination. Discussion: This study found strong evidence of employment-related discrimination against obese individuals. Commonly used measures of antifat attitudes do not appear to be adequate predictors of antifat discrimination. Improved questionnaire measures may be needed to better predict actual prejudiced behavior. s88 VOLUME 16 SUPPLEMENT 2 | NOVEMBER 2008 | www.obesityjournal.org articles Methods and Procedures Participants