Are Anti-Stigma Films a Useful Strategy for Reducing Weight Bias Among Trainee Healthcare Professionals? Results of a Pilot Randomized Control Trial

• Published in: Obesity facts Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 91 - 102
• Main Authors: Swift, Judy Anne, Tischler, Victoria, Markham, Sophie, Gunning, Ingrid, Glazebrook, Cris, Beer, Charlotte, Puhl, Rebecca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger GmbH 2013; Karger Publishers
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Attitude of Health Personnel; Behavioural intervention; Culture; Dietetics - education; Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods; England; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Motion Pictures; Obesity; Obesity - psychology; Original; Original Article; Pilot Projects; Prejudice; Stereotyping; Stigma; Students, Medical - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Young Adult; Obesity; Prejudice; Behavioural intervention; Stigma; Film
• ISSN: 1662-4025; 1662-4033; 1662-4033
• DOI: 10.1159/000348714

Background: Weight bias is an important clinical issue that the educators of tomorrow's healthcare professionals cannot afford to ignore. This study, therefore, aimed to pilot a randomized controlled trial of the effects of educational films designed to reduce weight stigmatization toward obese patients on trainee dietitians' and doctors' attitudes. Methods: A pre-post experimental design with a 6-week follow-up, which consisted of an intervention group (n = 22) and a control group (n = 21), was conducted to assess the efficacy of brief anti-stigma films in reducing weight bias, and to test whether future, larger-scale studies among trainee healthcare professionals are feasible. Results: Participants at baseline demonstrated weight bias, on both implicit and explicit attitude measures, as well as strong beliefs that obesity is under a person's control. The intervention films significantly improved explicit attitudes and beliefs toward obese people, and participant evaluation was very positive. The intervention did not significantly improve implicit anti-fat bias. Conclusion: The current study suggests both that it is possible to conduct a substantive trial of the effects of educational films designed to reduce weight stigma on a larger cohort of trainee healthcare professionals, and that brief educational interventions may be effective in reducing stigmatizing attitudes in this population.