Attitudes toward obese individuals among psychology and medical students samples

Malbaša, Kristina. (2016). Attitudes toward obese individuals among psychology and medical students samples. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Psychology. [mentor Čorkalo Biruški, Dinka].

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine attitudes towards Overweight and Obesity in psychology and medical students samples in Croatia. The study included 223 participants – students of psychology and medical students at The University of Zagreb. The study used explicit methods - Causes of Obesity Scale, The Attitudes Toward Obese People Scale, Fat Phobia Scale and Belief in a Just World Scale. The results showed that students of medicine and psychology have a mildly positive attitudes towards obese, with medical students expressed less positive attitudes. Students of medicine and psychology have a moderately negative beliefs about obese, with medical students expressed more negative beliefs. On the Causes of Obesity Scale participants were more likely to agree that social and internal causes were to blame for overweight/obesity, and were more likely to disagree that physical causes were to blame for overweight/obesity. Students who achieve high score on a scale of internal causes have less positive attitudes towards obese than students who achieve low scores on this scale. Students who achieve high score on a scale of social causes have less positive attitudes towards obese than students who achieve low scores on this scale. Attitudes toward obese did not differ significantly between individuals who achieve high or low scoreon the scale of physical causes. Attitudes toward obese did not differ significantly between individuals who achieve high or low score on the scale of ultimate and immanent justice. The results provide an insight into the under-researched understanding of prejudice against obese among helping professions in Croatia and may provide useful guidelines for prejudice reduction.

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