Department of Health, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences, University of Delaware, 301C Willard Hall, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
J Community Health. 2010 Jun;35(3):321-4. doi: 10.1007/s10900-010-9226-9.
Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005/2006 show that 32.7% of US adults are overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), 34.3% are obese (BMI 30-39.9), and 5.9% are extremely obese (BMI >or= 40). For the first time, the number of obese American adults is greater than those who are merely overweight. Negative attitudes and fat phobia toward the overweight exist not only in the general population, but also among health professionals including dietitians and dietetics students. The purpose of this study was to determine if fat phobia might be reduced among future professionals by putting students on a calorie-restricted diet for a short period. Forty dietetics and health promotion students enrolled in a university obesity course completed the Fat Phobia Scale test before and after following a calorie restricted diet for 1 week (1,200 calories and 1,500 calories for women and men, respectively). Students also reflected their thoughts about following such a diet via brief journal entries. Results showed the change in fat phobias after following a calorie-restricted diet was significant. Many journal entries reflected a newfound respect for individuals struggling to lose weight and change in prior negative attitudes. Students reported that this experience would impact their future dealings with overweight/obese clients. It may be useful to incorporate this type of activity into the training of nutrition and other health professional students to increase sensitivity and reduce existing biases and negative attitudes toward overweight/obese clients.
2005/2006 年全国健康与营养调查的数据显示，32.7%的美国成年人超重（BMI 为 25.0-29.9），34.3%肥胖（BMI 为 30-39.9），5.9%极度肥胖（BMI≥40）。美国肥胖的成年人数首次超过了超重的人数。超重人群不仅在普通民众中，而且在包括营养师和营养学生在内的卫生专业人员中，都存在对超重的负面态度和肥胖恐惧症。本研究的目的是通过让学生短期节食来确定这种恐惧是否会在未来的专业人士中减少。40 名注册参加大学肥胖课程的营养和健康促进专业学生在遵循限制热量饮食 1 周（女性 1200 卡路里，男性 1500 卡路里）前后完成了肥胖恐惧症量表测试。学生还通过简短的日记条目反映了他们对遵循这种饮食的想法。结果表明，遵循限制热量饮食后肥胖恐惧症的变化具有统计学意义。许多日记条目反映出对努力减肥的个体的新尊重，以及对先前负面态度的改变。学生报告说，这种体验将影响他们未来与超重/肥胖客户的交往。将这种类型的活动纳入营养和其他健康专业学生的培训中，可能有助于提高他们的敏感性，并减少对超重/肥胖客户的现有偏见和负面态度。
