Pre-school children's attitudes to fat and normal male and female stimulus figures.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate gender differences in attitudes to obesity in pre-school children.


METHODS
Evaluation of gender differences in judgements of stimulus figures varying in body shape and gender.


METHODS
Twenty-five children aged 2-5 y, 12 boys and 13 girls.


METHODS
Forced-choice ascriptions of personal, social and behavioural traits to normal and obese male and female dolls.


RESULTS
Children ascribed more negative characteristics than positive ones to fat figures than to normal figures, and more to fat female than to fat male figures.


CONCLUSIONS
Children can demonstrate prejudiced behaviour towards obesity at earlier ages than previously thought.
Turnbull
J D
JD
Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, UK. jturnbull@qmuc.ac.uk
Heaslip
S
S
McLeod
H A
HA
D001290:Attitude; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D011287:Prejudice; D012727:Sex Characteristics