İstanbul'da bir vakıf üniversitesindeki diyetetik öğrencilerinin içselleştirilmiş kilo önyargılarının obezitesi olan bireylere yönelik damgalayıcı tutum, inanç ve yaklaşımlarına etkisi

From the public health perspective, how and to what extent dietetics students internalize weight and its reflection on the client and/or patient's attitudes and beliefs is crucial. This study aims to understand the effect of dietetics students' weight internalization and their dietetic approaches, attitudes, and beliefs toward clients with obesity and their fat phobia. Totally 148 students from the 3rd, 4th, and Master's grades of the Yeditepe University Nutrition and Dietetics Department participated. Weight bias internalization (WBIS-M) scores were the highest, with a mean of 2.50±1.90 for 3rd-grade students, and a significant difference was found between internalization scores between 4th and Master's students (p=0.042). All students' mean body mass index (BMI) was in the normal weight range, and correlation analysis revealed that the student's WBIS-M score increased as the BMI increased (p=0.017). Students' overall mean fatphobia score was at the mild level, and no significant difference was observed between the groups (p=0.256). Although the diet patterns, blood parameters, and physical activity status of the two hypothetical case samples diagnosed with lactose intolerance used in the study were the same, the suggestions of the client with obesity, such as reducing carbohydrates (p=0.004) and weight loss (p=0.000), are indicators of fat-phobic attitude. In addition, the client with obesity was scored as having worse diet quality (p=0.000), worse general health status (p=0.000), and worse daily physical activity status (p=0.014). As a result, during Nutrition and Dietetics education, students' awareness should be increased to consider the etiology of obesity apart from the individual's control.