Sensitizing medical students to impression formation processes in the patient interview

Breytspraak, Linda M.; McGee, Judith; Conger, Judith Cohen; Whatley, Judith L.; Moore, James T.

doi:10.1097/00001888-197701000-00007

Cited by 9 publications

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“…Obese people are characterized as less intelligent, unhappy, physically unattractive, and lacking in self control. In addition, a survey of mental health professionals found they were more likely to assign negative psychological symptoms to obese patients, 3 and first‐year students at Duke rated simulated overweight patients as unattractive, less intelligent, and less likely to respond to dietary counseling 10 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of obesity on medical students’ approach to patients with abdominal pain

Wigton

McGaghie

2001

J Gen Intern Med

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Because widely held stereotypes characterize obese people as less intelligent, unhappy, lacking in self control and more prone to psychological problems, we tested whether obese appearance alone would affect medical students' decisions about the diagnosis and management of simulated patients. We videotaped 4 patient simulators presenting each of 4 cases in 2 states: normal and obese (by using padding and bulky clothing). Seventy-two clinical students at 2 medical schools viewed the cases and answered questions about diagnostic tests and management. We found the expected biases toward patients when in their obese form as well as pessimism about patient compliance and success of therapy, but there were no significant differences in tests or treatments ordered except where appropriate for an obese patient (e.g., weight reduction diet). Thus, the appearance of obesity alone biased the students' impressions of the patients, but did not affect diagnostic test ordering.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of obesity on medical students’ approach to patients with abdominal pain

Wigton

McGaghie

2001

J Gen Intern Med

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“…22 Similarly, medical students have indicated that overweight patients are not as likely to benefit from medical help, are depressed and nervous, and would benefit from seeing a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist. 23 While some physicians say that they doubt their negative beliefs translate into actions, 24 scores of studies demonstrate that attitudes and intentions often predict behaviors. 25,26 Physicians' attitudes may adversely affect the physicianpatient relationship in a number of meaningful ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weighing the care: patients' perceptions of physician care as a function of gender and weight

Hebl

Mason

2003

Int J Obes

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OBJECTIVE:To examine patients' reports of the level of care that they receive from their physicians, and determine the influence of weight and gender in these reports. DESIGN: In a four-cell design, male and female, overweight and nonoverweight patients reported on the medical care that they received immediately following their appointment. SUBJECTS: A total of 125 patients affiliated to one of four large clinics in the Texas Medical Center of Houston completed this study. MEASUREMENTS:Patients reported the positivity of the care that they received, the time that physicians spent with them, and the extent to which physicians discussed weight-related topics with them. RESULTS: Overweight patients, as a whole, did not report poorer levels of care than did their thinner counterparts. Rather, the weight and gender of the patient significantly interacted across each of the measures to reveal some divergence between male and female patients' weight-based experiences. When significant differences in reported perceptions emerged, overweight men reported deficits in care relative to average weight men (eg, physicians spent less time), whereas overweight women reported enhanced care relative to average weight women (eg, better levels of care, more topics discussed). CONCLUSION: Based on patients' reports, this study reveals that physician care may not be as influenced by patient weight as previously thought. Yet, there is a discernable impact of patients' weight on physician behavior. Overweight men, who may comprise the most at-risk population, indicate that less time is spent with them than that indicated by average weight men. While this may be alarming, overweight women do not report reductions in care. We propose that not only might physicians respond to them differently, but overweight female patients may also be engaging in denial strategies or compensatory behaviors that assure them of quality care.

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“…Researchers have documented the presence of negative attitudes toward fat people among health and mental health professionals. Anti-fat bias was found among doctors and medical students (Blumberg & Mellis, 1985;Breytspraak, McGee, Conger, Whatley, & Moore, 1977;Maddox & Liederman, 1969;Price, Desmond, Krol, Snyder, & OConnell, 1987), nurses and nursing students (Bagley, Conklin, Isherwood, Pechiulis, & Watson, 1989;Peternelj-Taylor, 1989), as well as among nutritionists (Maiman, Wang, Becker, Finlay, & Simonson, 1978). Psychologists viewed fat people as more embarrassed and unattractive than nonobese people (Age11 & Rothblum, 1991) and a sample of mental health professionals rated fat clients more negatively on a number of specific dimensions of psychological functioning (Young & Powell, 1985).…”

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confidence: 99%

Fat phobia: Measuring, understanding, and changing anti-fat attitudes

Robinson

Bacon

O'Reilly³

1993

Int. J. Eat. Disord.

152

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We examined fat phobia, defined as a pathological fear of fatness, by constructing the Fat Phobia Scale, determining its reliability and validity, examining correlates of fat phobia, and using a treatment approach designed to decrease fat phobia. Study 7 describes the development of the Fat Phobia Scale, a SO-item, modified 5-point semantic differential scale. Subjects (974 females and 7 77 males) completed the scale; factor analysis yielded six factors.Respondents who are average weight, female, younger, have more than a high school education, or are nonmedical professionals are more likely to have fat phobic attitudes. Study 2 examines fat phobic attitudes of women (N = 40) who had negative feelings about their bodies. Subjects completed the Fat Phobia Scale before and after a treatment approach designed to reduce their feelings of responsibility for fatness. Total scores on the Fat Phobia Scale and scores on all six factors decreased significantly, indicating a decrease in fat phobia. 0 1993 by john Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Sensitizing medical students to impression formation processes in the patient interview

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

The effect of obesity on medical students’ approach to patients with abdominal pain

The effect of obesity on medical students’ approach to patients with abdominal pain

Weighing the care: patients' perceptions of physician care as a function of gender and weight

Fat phobia: Measuring, understanding, and changing anti-fat attitudes

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