Evaluation of health care workers' attitudes towards obese individuals

This study was conducted in order to determine the prejudice attitudes and behaviors of health workers against obese individuals. In this descriptive study, the relationship between health workers' empathy skills, empathy bias and obesity prejudice levels was questioned. The survey was conducted in February-March 2018 with 182 women and 88 men with a total of 248 health workers who accepted to take part in the study voluntarily and working in T.C. General Directorate of Public Health of the Ministry of Health. In this study, a questionnaire which is prepared by the researcher, GAMS 27-Obesity Prejudice Scale (OPS), Empathic Tendency Scale (ETS) and Empath Skill Scale (ESS) were used as a data collection tool. Study data were evaluated using appropriate statistical methods using the SPSS 22.0 package programme. The average scores of the health workers were found 80.6 for GAMS-27, 72.4 for ETS and 131.1 for ESS. It was observed that the average of EBI scores was higher in female health workers than male health workers (p<0.05). According to the OPS classification, the highest average score was 65.50 in the unprejudiced group, the highest score average was 82.3 in physicians with prejudice tendency group and the highest score average was 99.5 in dietitians in prejudiced group. When the participants' body perceptions were examined, it was found that most of the underweight and normal people perceived themselves underweight and normal according to the BKI classification; the majority of those with high BMI perceive themselves as normal and underweight. Most of the BMI obese/obese class members perceive their body images as overweight and obese, and even in the same group a limited group that perceives themselves as underweight and overweight. The mean scores of the individuals who expressed their own physical appearance as underweight were higher than the other groups and it was found statistically significant (p<0.05). According to the prejudice statements, it was seen that the majority of the prejudices, prejudices and not opinions were tendency to prejudice in the attitude, and the highest average score of the PD was in the group declaring that there was no prejudice (p<0.05). According to individuals' decleration who stated themselves as prejudiced, unprejudiced and hesitated most of them were found to be proned to obesity predijudge. It was determined that the highest mean score of the OPS was in the group who declared that they were unprejudiced (p<0.05). As a result, it is unacceptable for health professionals to have an obesity prejudice, whose basic duty is to provide an unbiased health care service to individuals from all walks of life, including individuals with obesity. It is beneficial to initiate studies to reduce obesity prejudice promptly and effectively in all age groups and professions. Keywords; health workers, obesity prejudice, discrimination, empathic tendency, empathic skill.