Obesity-Related Stereotypes, Biases, and Prejudices Among Academic Dental Professionals

Shaped by societal emphasis on thinness, individuals with obesity encounter stereotypes, bias, and prejudice (SBP), which have been documented among healthcare professionals. This study examined obesity-related SBP among dental professionals in an academic setting, hypothesizing patterns similar to healthcare workers.

Faculty, staff, graduate students/residents, and students affiliated with the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in Fall 2024 were invited. A 37-item Qualtrics survey collected demographic information and assessed obesity-related SBP using the validated Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire and Fat Phobia Scale (FPS; range 1-5; higher scores reflect higher SBP). Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used for categorical bivariate analyses, and two-sample t-tests or ANOVA with Tukey-Kramer post-hoc tests were applied for group comparisons (α = 0.05).

A total of 230 responses were received (70.3% female, 83.0% White; 44.8% < 30 years). Most disagreed with, "I tend to think that people who are obese are a little untrustworthy" (90.4%) and "Although some obese people are surely smart, in general, I think they tend not to be quite as bright as normal weight people" (88.5%). Conversely, 58.1% agreed, "People who weigh too much could lose at least some part of their weight through a little exercise." Mean FPS was 3.53 ± 0.56; dental students (3.72 ± 0.49) and resident/graduate students (3.74 ± 0.47) had higher scores than staff (3.31 ± 0.61; p < 0.001) with no significant difference from faculty.

Obesity-related SBP are present among dental professionals, consistent with other healthcare fields. While most rejected associations between obesity and dishonesty or lack of intelligence, agreement remained with negative obesity stereotypes and weight-related concerns.