Study assesses bias in treatment practices

MESA, Ariz. – Those struggling with weight issues could find another obstacle in their path to losing weight – their dietitian. Arizona State University and Yale University researchers found that even students studying to become dietitians may have a bias toward the overweight or obese. The findings are reported in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

ASU nutrition professor Christopher Wharton was on the team that examined attitudes of dietetics students toward obese persons to help determine whether a patient’s body weight influences students’ treatment decisions and health evaluations.

“Weight bias is an important topic in the politics of obesity because it highlights a major issue of contention – is obesity the fault of the individual, society or both,” says Wharton. “An individual’s own perspective on obesity may bias their approach to care and our results suggest this possibility.”

Researchers surveyed 182 female dietetics students from across the country. They were asked to do a self assessment as well as read mock health profiles of patients who varied only by weight-related characteristics and gender, and they were asked to make judgments about the patient’s health status and participation in treatment.

Specific findings of this research include:

• More than 40 percent of students reported that they believe obese individuals are lazy, lacking in willpower, and are self-indulgent.
• The majority of students surveyed also agreed that obese individuals have poor self-control, overeat, are insecure and have low self-esteem.
• Students rated obese patients as being significantly less likely to comply with treatment recommendations and as having worse diet quality and health status compared to thinner patients, despite the fact that all patients were described as healthy adults.

Only two percent of students demonstrated positive or neutral attitudes toward obese individuals.

The results did not surprise Wharton because a number of previous studies have identified high levels of weight bias in all sorts of populations, from lay individuals to those in medical professions.

“Oftentimes, the default is to blame the individual for his or her weight problems, but students need to understand the major environmental factors that contribute to the problem and approach patients in an unbiased manner,” he says.

Wharton believes that the study will push professors to consider the issue of bias more within the classroom.

“I’m not sure dietetics curricula will change broadly to include weight bias as a standard topic, but I will bet that individual instructors will consider the issue as a topic in particular classrooms,” says Wharton.

For information, contact Wharton at christopher.wharton@asu.edu.

Arizona State University Polytechnic campus offers technical and professional programs that provide a project based, hands-on learning experience for students. Programs are available in business administration, education, arts and sciences, technology and engineering. Visit us online at www.poly.asu.edu.

Technorati Tags: Arizona, Arizona State University, Mesa, nutritian, Yale University