NEW HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A Yale study shows many obesity specialists from physicians and researchers to pharmacologists and psychologists have significant anti-fat bias.
"The stigma of obesity is so strong that even those most knowledgeable about the condition infer that obese people have blameworthy behavioral characteristics that contribute to their problem, i.e. being lazy," said Marlene Schwartz, associate research scientist in the Department of Psychology and lead researcher of the study published this month in the journal, Obesity Research.
The study included 389 health professionals attending the opening session of an international obesity conference in Quebec City.
"On both implicit and explicit measures, health professionals associated the stereotypes lazy, stupid and worthless with obese people," she said. There also was a significant relationship between age and bias; younger people show greater bias.
She said the findings were particularly noteworthy since the sample was comprised of professionals who treat and study obesity, a group that understands that obesity results from genetic and environmental factors and is not simply a function of individual behavior.
