The Relationship Between the Attributions of the Causes of Obesity, Contact and Attitudes Towards Obese People in Medical Students

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between
the attributions of obesity and attitudes towards obese people
in medical students and to examine whether the frequency
and quality of contact with obese people moderates this
relationship. The study involved 360 medical students, 261
female students and 96 male students, with an average age
of 21.88 (SD = 2.12) years. The survey was online, and the
participants filled out questions related to demographics, the
causes of obesity scale, anti-fat attitudes scale, as well as
questions about the frequency and quality of contact with
obese people. The obtained results show that the attribution
of the cause of obesity by internal factors is associated with
more negative attitudes towards obese people. More
frequent and high-quality contacts are associated with more
positive attitudes towards obese people. No significant
interactions were obtained between attributions of causes of obesity and contact on the attitudes towards obese people.
The obtained results are commented in the context of the
effects that students' negative attitudes have on obese people
and the importance of contact in reducing these negative
attitudes.