Premium
Fat phobia: Measuring, understanding, and changing anti‐fat attitudes
Author(s) -
Robinson Beatrice “Bean” E.,
Bacon Lane C.,
O'reilly Julia
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(199312)14:4<467::aid-eat2260140410>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology
We examined fat phobia, defined as a pathological fear of fatness, by‐ constructing the Fat Phobia Scale, determining its reliability and validity, examining correlates of fat phobia, and using a treatment approach designed to decrease fat phobia. Study 1 describes the development of the Fat Phobia Scale, a 50‐item, modified 5‐point semantic differential scale. Subjects (974 females and 117 males) completed the scale; factor analysis yielded six factors. Respondents who are average weight, female, younger, have more than a high school education, or are nonmedical professionals are more likely to have fat phobic attitudes. Study 2 examines fat phobic attitudes of women (N = 40) who had negative feelings about their bodies. Subjects completed the Fat Phobia Scale before and after a treatment approach designed to reduce their feelings of responsibility for fatness. Total scores on the Fat Phobia Scale and scores on all six factors decreased significantly, indicating a decrease in fat phobia. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.