Weight stigma and fat phobia in Poland – attitudes towards people living with obesity and the level of knowledge about obesity among the social media internet respondents and medical professionals

• DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1287783
• Publication Date: 2023-10-09T13:34:05Z
• Authors: Karolina Świder; Alicja Baska; Mateusz Babicki; Agnieszka Mastale...; Karolina Kłoda
• Keywords: Stigma; Shame; Weight management; Social stigma; Weight stigma

Obesity often subjects individuals to stigmatization, impacting self-esteem, contributing depression, social isolation, and even exacerbating weight gain. Our research aimed evaluate stigma, fat phobia, their expressions, obesity-related knowledge among media internet respondents medical practitioners in Poland.Conducted through Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI), our study employed the Fat Phobia Scale (FPS) tailored questions, analyzing 1705 questionnaires.The averaged a score of 3.60 ± 0.62 on FPS. Interestingly, men exhibited higher stigma levels than women. Variables like BMI, residency, interactions with people having obesity did not significantly impact levels. Approximately 74.0% found less attractive those normal weight, while 32.2% identified as cause shame. Only 69.1% were aware BMI-based diagnosis criterion.Given limited Poland's landscape, yields crucial insights for shaping campaigns enhancing educational initiatives management healthcare professionals. Further studies will be instrumental addressing patient practitioner needs effectively.