Obesity bias and stigma, attitudes and beliefs among entry-level physiotherapy students in the Republic of Ireland: a cross sectional study

O’Donoghue, Gráinne; McMahon, Sinéad; Holt, Ava; Nedai, M; Nybo, Taina; Peiris, Casey L

doi:10.1016/j.physio.2021.03.016

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…While the most current research reveals obesity is not recognised as a priority in medicine [ 49 ], nursing [ 50 ] and physiotherapy education [ 51 ], inclusion of a formal obesity curriculum at entry and graduate level, that is co-designed with patients living with obesity, who have first-hand experience of healthcare weight bias and stigmatisation, should now be part of contemporary health and social care education. Moreover, in addition to training the next generation of HCPs, introduction of education resources for current HCPs, focusing on the complexity of obesity, the impact of weight stigma, environmental barriers and communication coaching, used alongside a ‘zero weight discrimination in healthcare’ policy, may be the first steps towards dispelling these negative attitudes [ 52 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative exploration of obesity bias and stigma in Irish healthcare; the patients’ voice

et al. 2021

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Background Current data indicates 70% of adults with obesity report experiencing bias and stigmatisation when engaging with healthcare. Most studies to date, have focused on weight bias from a healthcare professional’s perspective. Few have explored weight bias from the perspective of the individual living with obesity and no study has conducted this research in the Irish context. Aims This study explored, the lived-in experience of individuals afflicted with obesity, when interacting with the Irish healthcare system. It examined whether participants encountered weight bias and stigma, if so, how it may have impacted them and gathered their suggestions on how it could be best addressed. Methods Employing a phenomenological approach, purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 individuals living with class II (BMI 35.0–39.9) or III obesity (BMI ≥40kg/m2) who reported regular and consistent engagement with the Irish healthcare system. Predominant emergent themes were categorised using the interview domains; (1) experiences of obesity bias and stigma, (2) impact of this bias and stigma and (3) suggested avenues to reduce bias and stigma. Findings Participants reported experiencing high levels of weight bias and stigmatisation. Relating to experiences, three themes were identified; interpersonal communication, focus of care and physical environment. In terms of its impact, there were two emergent themes; negativity towards future healthcare and escalation of unhealthy behaviours. Suggested avenues to eliminate bias and stigma included the introduction of a timely and clear clinical pathway for obesity management and a focus on HCPs education in relation to obesity causes and complexity. Conclusions Outside of specialist obesity tertiary care, weight bias and stigmatisation is commonly reported in the Irish healthcare system. It is a significant issue for those living with obesity, detrimental to their physiological and psychological health. A concerted effort by HCPs across clinical, research and educational levels is required to alleviate its harmful effects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative exploration of obesity bias and stigma in Irish healthcare; the patients’ voice

et al. 2021

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“…Previous studies have documented negative attitudes towards patients with obesity among a range of different health professionals including family physicians, physiotherapists, nurses, dietitians, and trainees (e.g., residents, physiotherapy students and nursing students) [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Strategies to mitigate weight stigma in clinical settings have centred around improving weight-related attitudes, and incorporating weight stigma and bias training as core competencies in medical curricula [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘It’s not me, it’s them’ – a report describing the weight-related attitudes towards obesity in pregnancy among maternal healthcare providers

Nagpal,

Angrish,

Bonisteel

et al. 2024

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Occurrences of weight stigma have been documented in prenatal clinical settings from the perspective of pregnant patients, however little is known from the viewpoint of healthcare providers themselves. Reported experiences of weight stigma caused by maternal healthcare providers may be due to negative attitudes towards obesity in pregnancy and a lack of obesity specific education. The objective of this study was to assess weight-related attitudes and assumptions towards obesity in pregnancy among maternal healthcare providers in order to inform future interventions to mitigate weight stigma in prenatal clinical settings. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered online for maternal healthcare providers in Canada that assessed weight-related attitudes and assumptions towards lifestyle behaviours in pregnancy for patients who have obesity. Participants indicated their level of agreement on a 5-point likert scale, and mean scores were calculated with higher scores indicating poorer attitudes. Participants reported whether they had observed weight stigma occur in clinical settings. Finally, participants were asked whether or not they had received obesity-specific training, and attitude scores were compared between the two groups. Results Seventy-two maternal healthcare providers (midwives, OBGYNs, residents, perinatal nurses, and family physicians) completed the survey, and 79.2% indicated that they had observed pregnant patients with obesity experience weight stigma in a clinical setting. Those who had obesity training perceived that their peers had poorer attitudes (3.7 ± 0.9) than those without training (3.1 ± 0.7; t(70) = 2.23, p = 0.029, Cohen’s d = 0.86). Conclusions Weight stigma occurs in prenatal clinical environments, and this was confirmed by maternal healthcare providers themselves. These findings support advocacy efforts to integrate weight stigma related content and mitigation strategies in medical education for health professionals, including maternal healthcare providers. Future work should include prospective examination of weight related attitudes among maternal healthcare providers and implications of obesity specific education, including strategies on mitigating weight stigma in the delivery of prenatal care.

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“…This may also hold true for health care students. While many studies have found the presence of explicit weight bias among health care students (Allnutt et al, 2022; Phelan et al, 2021; Puhl et al, 2014; Werkhoven, 2020), others have found an overall positive attitude toward people living with obesity (O’Donoghue et al, 2021), neutral attitudes toward patients living with obesity (Poon & Tarrant, 2009), or no association between the advice given to patients living with obesity and attitudes toward obesity (Nicholls et al, 2016). Although a combination of measures and methodologies, which may overlap between the aforementioned studies, may be used to assess weight bias among health care students, it is unclear whether the differences reported are due to actual differences in the exhibited weight bias or methodologies including the instruments used to measure bias (Lawrence et al, 2021).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing explicit weight bias among Australian health care students: Suitability of the Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale (BAOP) and the Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire (AFA).

Jayawickrama,

Hill,

O'Connor

et al. 2023

Stigma and Health

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Obesity bias and stigma, attitudes and beliefs among entry-level physiotherapy students in the Republic of Ireland: a cross sectional study

Cited by 7 publications

References 37 publications

A qualitative exploration of obesity bias and stigma in Irish healthcare; the patients’ voice

A qualitative exploration of obesity bias and stigma in Irish healthcare; the patients’ voice

‘It’s not me, it’s them’ – a report describing the weight-related attitudes towards obesity in pregnancy among maternal healthcare providers

Assessing explicit weight bias among Australian health care students: Suitability of the Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale (BAOP) and the Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire (AFA).

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