Evolution of Pre-Health Professionals’ Attributions of the Causes of Obesity during an Obesity and Weight Management Course
Mentor 1
Dr Lori Klos
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 10:30 AM
End Date
24-4-2015 11:45 AM
Description
This study examines the evolution of pre-health professional students’ beliefs about the causes of obesity at during a 16-week, upper level kinesiology course entitled Obesity and Weight Management. Gaining understanding of how pre-health professionals change their thinking as they gain knowledge about the causes of obesity may assist in tailoring training to help minimize anti-fat bias. Students were instructed to complete concept maps illustrating their beliefs at the beginning of the course, after a module on the complex etiology of obesity, and at the end of the course. The concepts included on the map are being analyzed using Atlas.ti qualitative data analysis software to create categories, then collapse categories into themes. Categories include concepts like nutrition education, disordered eating, and accessibility of safe outdoor spaces while themes are general, such as biology, education, and physical activity. Categories and themes are evaluated for agentic/non-agentic attributions, with agentic causes indicating personal responsibility, like choosing to spend leisure time with television rather than exercising, and non-agentic causes having an external, uncontrollable source such as genetic predispositions or foods available in local stores. It was anticipated that students would begin the course focused on themes that attributed obesity to personal agency, that non-agentic causes would be more prevalent in the second set of maps with a decline in overall belief in agency, and that, while some non-agentic themes remain apparent at the end of the semester, there would be some regression to supporting agentic themes. Preliminary analysis indicates that this was partially supported, non-agentic themes increased dramatically and agentic themes declined for the second set of concept maps, though the level of regression to personal agency at the end of the semester may not be as great as anticipated. Individuals that attribute obesity to personal agency tend to carry higher levels of anti-fat bias, which can impede fair treatment of people with obesity by health professionals. Therefore, effectively reducing anti-fat bias in pre-health professionals could create a long-term effect of creating a more inclusive medical environment for patients with obesity, which could potentially increase their overall health outcomes.
Evolution of Pre-Health Professionals’ Attributions of the Causes of Obesity during an Obesity and Weight Management Course
Union Wisconsin Room
This study examines the evolution of pre-health professional students’ beliefs about the causes of obesity at during a 16-week, upper level kinesiology course entitled Obesity and Weight Management. Gaining understanding of how pre-health professionals change their thinking as they gain knowledge about the causes of obesity may assist in tailoring training to help minimize anti-fat bias. Students were instructed to complete concept maps illustrating their beliefs at the beginning of the course, after a module on the complex etiology of obesity, and at the end of the course. The concepts included on the map are being analyzed using Atlas.ti qualitative data analysis software to create categories, then collapse categories into themes. Categories include concepts like nutrition education, disordered eating, and accessibility of safe outdoor spaces while themes are general, such as biology, education, and physical activity. Categories and themes are evaluated for agentic/non-agentic attributions, with agentic causes indicating personal responsibility, like choosing to spend leisure time with television rather than exercising, and non-agentic causes having an external, uncontrollable source such as genetic predispositions or foods available in local stores. It was anticipated that students would begin the course focused on themes that attributed obesity to personal agency, that non-agentic causes would be more prevalent in the second set of maps with a decline in overall belief in agency, and that, while some non-agentic themes remain apparent at the end of the semester, there would be some regression to supporting agentic themes. Preliminary analysis indicates that this was partially supported, non-agentic themes increased dramatically and agentic themes declined for the second set of concept maps, though the level of regression to personal agency at the end of the semester may not be as great as anticipated. Individuals that attribute obesity to personal agency tend to carry higher levels of anti-fat bias, which can impede fair treatment of people with obesity by health professionals. Therefore, effectively reducing anti-fat bias in pre-health professionals could create a long-term effect of creating a more inclusive medical environment for patients with obesity, which could potentially increase their overall health outcomes.
