Please disable your adblock and script blockers to view this page

Using an 'obesity simulation suit' to reveal prejudice among med students


JavaScript
Healthline Media
European Economic Area
MNT - Hourly Medical News
Advertising Policy and Privacy Policy
the Medical News Today
Healthcare
obesity?Researchers
the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy
the University Hospital Tuebingen
Herrmann-Werner
Healthline Media UK Ltd
|
day.2019


Anne Herrmann-Werner

No matching tags

No matching tags

No matching tags


Inc.
the United States
Germany
Brighton
UK

No matching tags

Positivity     33.00%   
   Negativity   67.00%
The New York Times
SOURCE: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325967.php
Write a review: Medical News Today
Summary

Please see our privacy policy for more information.The details of this article have been emailed on your behalf.Click here to return to the Medical News Today home page.In all walks of life, people with obesity tend to face subconscious stigmatization and prejudice.Many people with obesity have experienced this in their day-to-day experience, but scientific studies also back this phenomenon up.For instance, gaze behavior studies showed that some people "stare" at the waistlines of people with obesity, thus paying less attention to their face and "de-individualizing" them.Another study found that even experienced human resource professionals can sometimes discriminate against people with obesity — particularly women.Healthcare professionals are no strangers to bias and prejudice against people with obesity, either. Research has found that doctors tend to be less respectful toward those with obesity, communicate less positively with them, and spend less time educating them about their health.Instead, albeit mistakenly, physicians often "blame" obesity for the person's symptoms, and they fail to explore other avenues for treatment besides weight loss.So, what are some of the things we can do to eliminate the stigma around obesity?Researchers led by Anne Herrmann-Werner, from the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Tuebingen in Germany, wanted to see if using an "obesity simulation suit" and conducting a role-playing experiment would help uncover and correct anti-obesity bias among medical students.Herrmann-Werner and colleagues published the results of their proof-of-concept study in the journal BMJ Open.The researchers used role-playing to reenact a routine visit to the "family doctor." They asked the participants to work in groups of 10 and assume either the role of a "patient with diabetes" or that of the doctor.When playing the role of the patient, the participants had to wear an "obesity simulation suit." This would simulate the appearance of a person with a body mass index (BMI) of 30–39.The researchers used the weight control/blame section of the "Anti-Fat Attitudes Test" (AFAT) — a standard measure of prejudice against people with obesity — to examine attitudes toward obesity.The AFAT uses a 5-point scale (ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree") to rate a person's adherence to statements such as:Herrmann-Werner and team also asked the participants how sympathetically they felt they communicated with the patient, how realistic the role-play and the "obesity simulation suit" were, how difficult the suit was to wear, and if they thought the suit was an effective teaching prop.In addition to medical students, the study also included teachers.

As said here by Ana Sandoiu