title: Physician assistant students' attitudes about obesity and obese individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to examine physician assistant (PA) students' attitudes about obesity and obese individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at New York Institute of Technology completed the Fat Phobia Scale to assess their attitudes regarding obesity and obese individuals. Students also provided their height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI), and their sex and age. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Student's t-test with p < .05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean score for the Fat Phobia Scale was 3.7 +/- 0.63, which represents an average level of fat phobia. A high level (score > or = 4.4) was noted in 13.6% of participants (n = 15) and 5.4% (n = 6) demonstrated positive or neutral attitudes towards obese people (score < or = 2.5). The mean BMI for those who scored > or = 4.4 was 23.3 kg/m2 +/- 2.9 and 22.9 kg/m2 +/- 4.0 for those who scored < or = 2.5 (p > .05). The five negative adjectives receiving the highest mean response were that obese people are slow, like food, overeat, are insecure, and have low self-esteem. The five negative adjectives with the greatest number of responses indicating participants agreed or strongly agreed with that adjective are that obese people like food, overeat, are slow and inactive, and have no endurance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study documents a bias within our student population that is similar to that seen in nurses, physicians, and dietitians and likely exists in other PA programs as well. As educators, we need to attempt to modify our students' negative attitudes before they become practicing clinicians.
authors.affiliation: New York Institute of Technology, Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Old Westbury, New York, USA. cwolf01@nyit.edu
authors.forename: Corri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000193:education*; D011287:Prejudice