INTERNALIZED AND EXTERNALIZED WEIGHT BIAS AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN HEALTH AND NON-HEALTH MAJORS

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Objective(s): To examine weight bias differences by majors (health vs. non-health) and college years (early vs. late). Study Design: Cross-sectional. Participants: 539 undergraduates aged 18-24 enrolled at the University of Delaware. Outcome measures: Differences in internalized (Weight Bias Internalization Scale), externalized (dislike, willpower, and fear of fat subscales from Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire), and implicit weight bias (Harvard Weight Implicit Association Test). Statistical analyses: Adjusted linear regression models assessed associations between independent variables, majors, college years, and their interaction on weight bias. Group differences were presented using estimated marginal means. Significance was set at P < 0.01 to control for multiple testing. Results: Weight bias was present in this college sample, but no significant differences emerged by majors, college years, or their interaction. Conclusions and Implications: Given the persistence of weight bias across academic majors and years, future research may consider broader societal factors that influence weight bias in higher education.
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