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Journal of Community & Public Health Nursing | ISSN: 2471-9846 | Volume 4
December 05-06, 2018 | Chicago, USA
Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner Meeting
21
st
World Congress on
Nursing Education and Management
&
Too big to be seen: Weight-based discrimination among nursing students
Maryanne Barra
Seton Hall University, USA
A
n educational intervention was conducted to determine the efficacy of an obesity sensitivity program to determine nursing
students’ attitudes toward obese clients. As part of the clinical curriculum, nursing students (N=103) received weekly obesity
sensitivity education on weight-based discrimination. Students’ completed a pre- and post- Attitudes Toward Obese Person Scale
(Barra, 2015) to evaluate discriminatory beliefs and actions. All clinical groups had a significant positive change in their own weight
prejudices post obesity education intervention. Chi-square analyses were utilized as a measure of association between pre- and post-
obesity education with clinical application concerning obesity size, body odor, appearance, and lifestyle, along with provider fear
of a back injury. Promoting nursing student awareness of obese client bias can dissipate negative stigmas to promote a therapeutic
patient-provider relationship.
Marynbarra@aol.comJ Comm Pub Health Nursing 2018, Volume 4
DOI: 10.4172/2471-9846-C4-012