Misconceptions about obesity and weight stigma in Brazilian healthcare professionals
Sozza, Paula Victoria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Penelo Werner, Eva (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut)
Flint, Stuart W. (University of Leeds)
Sánchez-Carracedo, David (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Almeida, Sebastião de Sousa (Universidade de São Paulo. Departamento de Psicologia)
Braga Costa, Telma Maria (Universidade de São Paulo. Departamento de Psicologia)
Laus, Maria Fernanda (Universidade de São Paulo. Departamento de Psicologia)

Data:	2026
Descripció:	14 pàg.
Resum:	People living with obesity (PLWO) frequently experience weight stigma (WS) in healthcare settings, leading to disparities in treatment. Although research shows that healthcare professionals (HCPs) often hold stigmatising views, this issue remains underexplored in Brazil. The objective of this study is to examine WS and beliefs about obesity amongst Brazilian HCPs. Five hundred seven Brazilian HCPs completed a survey assessing sociodemographic data, beliefs about obesity and the Fat Phobia Scale-Short Form (FPS-SF) for assessing WS. Linear regression models analysed the association between these variables. HCPs who are men (p = 0. 007) and physicians (p < 0. 001) had significantly higher WS. Participants who attributed overeating to physiological dysfunction (p = 0. 004) or the food environment (p = 0. 020) reported significantly lower WS compared to those who attributed it to emotional eating. Those who attributed weight loss difficulty to genetic or metabolic factors (p < 0. 001) had significantly lower WS compared to those that reported lack of motivation or self-discipline. People who reported a belief that there are factors beyond patients' control (p = 0. 001), inadequate care by HCP (p = 0. 018) or biological mechanisms (p = 0. 007) that prevent weight loss reported significantly lower WS compared to HCPs who believe it's the result of a lack of motivation/self-discipline. In conclusion, higher levels of WS were observed in HCPs who are men, physicians and HCPs who attribute the causes and management of obesity to personal responsibility. These findings emphasise the need for interventions to address WS in HCPs and to improve care for PLWO.
Nota:	Altres ajuts: This study was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (Process No. 88887.514232/2020-00; 88887.885714/2023-00; 88887.994538/2024-00), which provided a doctoral scholarship; and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq; Process No. 404975/2023-2), which funded equipment and scientific events
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Anti-fat bias ; Healthcare provider ; Obesity ; Weight prejudice
Publicat a:	Clinical Obesity, Vol. 16, Num. 2 (2026) , art. e70074, ISSN 1758-8111

DOI: 10.1111/cob.70074
PMID: 41850811

14 p, 852.8 KB

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