Aims:We aim to investigate the link between obesity prejudice and knowledge of obesity, and any differences in prejudice and knowledge amongst healthcare professional (HCP) groups. Methods: A survey consisting of two previously validated questionnaires assessing obesity prejudice (Attitudes Towards Obese Persons, ATOP 1 ) and knowledge (Obesity Risk Knowledge Scale, ORK-10 2 ) were sent to HCP groups in an East Anglian NHS trust. An R 2 coefficient was used to determine a correlation between the two scores, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to assess differences between HCP groups. Results: 436 responses were received, 372 of which were complete and analysed. HCP groups included consultants, junior doctors, nurses, health care assistants, operating department professionals, and pharmacists. The average ATOP and ORK-10 scores were 69.1/120 and 7.09/10 respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between HCP groups' ORK-10 scores (p<0.05); there was no statistically significant difference demonstrated between the ATOP scores (p=0.50). Conclusions: Obesity prejudice was demonstrated amongst HCPs, although this did not correlate with knowledge of obesity. Knowledge of obesity was low amongst many HCPs and could be improved via targeted educational strategies aiming to aid staff in the care of people with obesity.
American social psychology textbooks often provide instructors' manuals that include Multiple Choice Quizzes (MCQ's) used by researchers examining the extent to which “lay people” could predict the outcomes of psychological research and theories. This study examined the extent to which students could choose a correct answer from social psychology instructors' manuals without having attended a related course. Three different manuals were used to look at tests of 57, 46, and 36 items, chosen to avoid technical jargon, real names, and experimental details, as well as to cover the broad range of social psychology. Subjects in Study 1 (n = 98 life sciences students) and Study 3 (n = 100 new students) got over 50% of the answers correct (53% and 52%, respectively), while in Study 2 (n = 139 student applicants) they got 48% correct. Scores were unrelated to gender and age, and there was no clear relationship between knowledge and particular areas of social psychology (i.e., social influone, prosocial behavior, attitude change). In the first study, prior knowledge of psychology did not relate to total score, while in the second sample, students who attended lectures did score higher than those who did not. In the third study, subjects who reported reading books, or who had how on social psychology courses, did score marginally higher. Implications of these findings are discussed.
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