1. Introduction Pre-health professionals receive little formal education about obesity and weight management, and exhibit considerable anti-fat bias. 1 The lack of knowledge about obesity and weight control among health care professionals, and the presence of anti-fat bias, may compromise the quality of care provided to individuals with obesity. 1 The objective of this project was to examine how an obesity and weight management course − addressing the complex etiology, treatment, and prevention of obesity − affects pre-health professional students’ weight- related attitudes and beliefs. Introduction Pre-health professionals receive little formal education about obesity and weight management, and exhibit considerable anti-fat bias. 1 The lack of knowledge about obesity and weight control among health care professionals, and the presence of anti-fat bias, may compromise the quality of care provided to individuals with obesity. 1 The objective of this project was to examine how an obesity and weight management course − addressing the complex etiology, treatment, and prevention of obesity − affects pre-health professional students’ weight- related attitudes and beliefs. Method Design. Before & after with a comparison group Courses. Students self-selected into one of the following courses (3 credits; 16-weeks; face-to- face):  Obesity & Weight Management (course of interest)  Advanced Biomechanics (comparison course) Measures. Administered on the first and last day of each course by a trained research assistant.  Implicit weight bias. Weight Implicit Association Test (Weight-IAT) 2  Explicit weight bias. Anti-Fat Attitudes Test (AFAT) 3  Weight locus of control. Dieting Beliefs Scale (DBS) 4 Analysis. T-tests for between- and within-group bivariate analyses; ANCOVA for between-group multivariate analyses of post-course scores, adjusted for baseline scores on measures of interest. Method Design. Before & after with a comparison group Courses. Students self-selected into one of the following courses (3 credits; 16-weeks; face-to- face):  Obesity & Weight Management (course of interest)  Advanced Biomechanics (comparison course) Measures. Administered on the first and last day of each course by a trained research assistant.  Implicit weight bias. Weight Implicit Association Test (Weight-IAT) 2  Explicit weight bias. Anti-Fat Attitudes Test (AFAT) 3  Weight locus of control. Dieting Beliefs Scale (DBS) 4 Analysis. T-tests for between- and within-group bivariate analyses; ANCOVA for between-group multivariate analyses of post-course scores, adjusted for baseline scores on measures of interest. Results Conclusions Pre-health professional students exhibit significant implicit anti-fat bias, while explicit bias is low. The prevailing belief about the etiology of weight regulation is that control resides within the individual (which can contribute to anti-fat bias) as opposed to environmental and/or genetic factors. Participation in OWM resulted in some improvements in explicit attitudes and beliefs associated with anti-fat bias. The lack of differences in post-course scores among students in OWM and the comparison course may be explained by contamination between courses, small sample sizes, and/or a floor effect with some measures. Encouragingly, OWM participation did not exacerbate anti-fat attitudes and beliefs despite inclusion of course content that addressed weight control at the individual level (e.g., behavior change). Conclusions Pre-health professional students exhibit significant implicit anti-fat bias, while explicit bias is low. The prevailing belief about the etiology of weight regulation is that control resides within the individual (which can contribute to anti-fat bias) as opposed to environmental and/or genetic factors. Participation in OWM resulted in some improvements in explicit attitudes and beliefs associated with anti-fat bias. The lack of differences in post-course scores among students in OWM and the comparison course may be explained by contamination between courses, small sample sizes, and/or a floor effect with some measures. Encouragingly, OWM participation did not exacerbate anti-fat attitudes and beliefs despite inclusion of course content that addressed weight control at the individual level (e.g., behavior change). Pre-Health Professionals' Attitudes about Obesity and Obese Individuals Before and After an Obesity & Weight Management Course Lori A. Klos & Tanya J. Cass Body Weight & Shape Research Lab, Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Sciences For additional information, contact: Lori Klos, Ph.D., R.D., Assistant Professor & Co-Director, Body Weight & Shape Research Lab; E-mail: neighbol@uwm.edu; Phone: 414-229-3162 neighbol@uwm.edu For additional information, contact: Lori Klos, Ph.D., R.D., Assistant Professor & Co-Director, Body Weight & Shape Research Lab; E-mail: neighbol@uwm.edu; Phone: 414-229-3162 neighbol@uwm.edu References WeekTopic; Film clip 1 Epidemiology of obesity 2 Etiology of obesity; The Weight of the Nation: Challenges 3 Etiology of obesity 4 Regulation of body weight and energy requirements; The Weight of the Nation Bonus Short: The Quest to Understand the Biology of Weight Loss 5 Physical consequences of obesity; The Weight of the Nation: Consequences 6 Psychosocial consequences of obesity (including weight bias); The Weight of the Nation: Consequences 7 Assessment of weight status 8 Introduction to treatment & health consequences of intentional weight reduction 9 Obesity treatment: dietary aspects; The Weight of the Nation: Intro to Diets 10 Obesity treatment: physical activity aspects; The Weight of the Nation: Choices (Chapter 7) 11 Obesity treatment: behavioral aspects 12 Weight loss maintenance; The Weight of the Nation: Choices (Chapter 11) 13 Prevention of obesity; The Weight of the Nation Bonus Short: Nashville Takes Action: A City Battles Obesity 14 Prevention of obesity; Obesity Prevention Efforts in NYC: Thomas Farley, M.D., M.P.H. at the 2013 Public Health Law meeting Participants Undergraduate and graduate pre-health professional students (25 men, 19 women); 91% White; M age = 24.0 ± 3.6 years); M BMI = 24.7 ± 2.9 kg/m 2. Participants Undergraduate and graduate pre-health professional students (25 men, 19 women); 91% White; M age = 24.0 ± 3.6 years); M BMI = 24.7 ± 2.9 kg/m 2. Course content overview 1. Puhl, R., & Heuer, C. (2009). Obesity, 17, 941-964. 2. Teachman, B. A., Gapinski, K. D., Brownell, K. D., Rawlins, M., & Jeyaram, S. (2003). Health Psychology, 22, 68-78. 3. Lewis, R., J., Cash, T. F., Jacobi, L., & Bubb-Lewis, C. (1997). Obesity Research, 5, 297-307. 4. Stotland, S., & Zuroff, D. C. (1990). J Personality Assessment, 54, 191-203. Is weight bias present among pre-health professional university students? How do weight-related attitudes and beliefs change as a result of an OWM course? Beliefs about Weight Locus of Control Stronger belief that weight is internally controlled Greater anti-fat attitudes Implicit Anti-Fat Bias: YES Scores significantly greater than 0 (p <.001) for all 3 IAT tasks indicating anti-fat bias. Implicit Anti-Fat Bias: YES Scores significantly greater than 0 (p <.001) for all 3 IAT tasks indicating anti-fat bias. Explicit Anti-Fat Bias: LOW Scores significantly lower than median value of 3.0 (p <.001) indicating some rejection of anti- fat attitudes. Explicit Anti-Fat Bias: LOW Scores significantly lower than median value of 3.0 (p <.001) indicating some rejection of anti- fat attitudes. Weight Locus of Control: INTERNAL Scores significantly higher than median value of 56 (p <.001) indicating the belief that weight is controllable. Weight Locus of Control: INTERNAL Scores significantly higher than median value of 56 (p <.001) indicating the belief that weight is controllable. Within-course changes (bivariate analyses): YES, EXPLICIT ONLY Between-course differences post- course (multivariate analyses): NO Post-course scores on weight-related measures were similar (p >.05) after adjustment for baseline group differences and pre-course scores. OWMWeight-IATComparison -- Good/Bad -- Motivated/Lazy -- Smart/Stupid * OWMAFATComparison *** Total -- *** Physical & Romantic Unattractiveness -- * Social & Character Disparagement * *** Weight Control & Blame -- OWMDBSComparison * Total * ** Willpower & Personal Control -- Genes & Luck -- Environmental --