title: Too fat, too thin: understanding bias against overweight and underweight in an Australian female university student sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We compare attribution and social comparison theories as potential explanations for attitudes towards overweight and underweight targets among Australian university students.
  
  
  METHODS
  185 female students (median age 18) completed a measure of body image state, then read one of six vignettes, describing a female student who was underweight, average weight or overweight, and who did or did not have a medical condition affecting weight. Independent variables were target weight (underweight, average-weight, overweight); weight controllability (no information, uncontrollable); and participant body image (higher, lower).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants evaluated the target on six characteristics derived from existing research on weight bias, on seven-point Likert scales: attractive; healthy; likeable; motivated; self-disciplined; having willpower.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A three-way between-participants multivariate analysis of covariance was conducted, with post hoc comparisons of significant effects. Overweight targets were rated more negatively than average-weight and underweight targets. Uncontrollability (medical) information produced more positive evaluations of the overweight target, but more negative evaluations of the underweight target. Ratings of the average-weight target were not influenced by uncontrollability information. Participant body image state had no significant effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results provided partial support for attribution theory, but not for social comparison theory, as an explanation of weight bias.
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Queensland , St Lucia , Australia.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D011287:Prejudice; D011793:Queensland; D012938:Social Perception; D066269:Social Theory; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: attributions; obesity; social comparison; stigma; underweight