title: An examination of weight bias among treatment-seeking obese patients with and without binge eating disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to compare weight-bias attitudes among treatment-seeking obese patients with and without binge eating disorder (BED vs. NBO) and to explore racial and sex differences and correlates of weight-bias attitudes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 221 obese patients (169 female, 52 male) seeking treatment for weight and eating, recruited through primary care settings; of these, 168 patients met BED criteria. Patients completed semi-structured interviews and psychometrically established self-report measures of attitudes about obesity, eating pathology and depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Main effects for group (BED vs. NBO) and race (White vs. African American) were significant. Patients with BED had significantly higher levels of negative attitudes towards obesity than NBO patients, while African American patients had significantly lower levels of weight bias than did White patients. Greater negative attitudes towards obesity were significantly correlated with higher levels of depression and eating pathology for all patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endorsement of negative weight bias was related to binge eating status, race, disordered eating, and depression. Primary care providers should be aware of weight biases among their patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. Electronic address: Rachel.Barnes@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Rachel D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ivezaj
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
authors.forename: Carlos M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Grilo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011287:Prejudice / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D057545:Social Stigma; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Attitudes; Binge eating; Obesity; Stigma; Weight bias