Anti-fat Attitudes among Senior Dietetics Students, Healthcare Students and non-healthcare Women Students

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate whether there is a difference in anti-fat attitudes among senior dietetics students, healthcare students and non-healthcare students. As a secondary objective, we intend to evaluate which variables emerge as predictors of anti-fat attitudes among young women, including aspects related to negative and positive body image and disordered eating attitudes. The sample was composed of 331 women (111 dietetics students, 117 healthcare students, and 103 non-healthcare students), who answered questions that measured anti-fat attitudes, self-evaluative appearance investment, internalization of appearance ideals, disordered eating attitudes, and broad conceptualization of beauty. The ANOVA showed no group effect for total AFAT and the three subscales. The total AFAT score was negatively correlated with BMI and a broader conceptualization of beauty; and positively correlated with internalization of thinness and muscular/athletic ideals, concerns about eating and body weight gain and the total DEAS. In a hierarchical regression analysis, the set of variables in the model explained 26.4% of the variance of anti-fat attitudes, and a broader conceptualization of beauty and internalization of muscular/athletic ideals were significant predictors of anti-fat attitudes. The undergraduate course did not impact the participants’ anti-fat attitudes. Moreover, participants who had higher anti-fat attitudes also presented a greater internalization of beauty standards and a greater tendency to engage in eating behaviors aimed at weight loss. In addition, a broader conceptualization of beauty and lower internalization of muscular/athletic ideals have shown to be significant predictors of anti-fat attitudes among young women.