Weight Inclusive Thinking for Fitness Spaces (WIT FITS): A Pilot Study on the Effects of an Online Intervention on Exercise Professionals’ Anti-Fat Attitudes

Zuest, Luciana; Lee, Sae-Mi; Lau, Riley; Fogaça, Janaina Lima; Clifford, Dawn

doi:10.1080/24711616.2023.2175743

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 43 publications

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“…We also introduced weight stigma reduction strategies participants could implement at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural levels (Cook et al, 2014;Zuest et al, 2022). In a single-arm pilot study of the intervention course, Zuest et al (2023) found that the online course significantly decreased exercise professionals' anti-fat attitudes from pretest to posttest. Minor changes were made to the course to address participants' feedback.…”

Section: Intervention and Control Coursesmentioning

confidence: 99%

WIT FITS: Effects of Weight Stigma Intervention on Exercise Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Fatness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Zuest,

Lee,

Fogaça

et al. 2023

Recreational Sports Journal

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Exercise professionals often hold anti-fat attitudes, which contribute to weight stigma and discrimination in physical activity contexts. This study examined the effects of an online weight stigma intervention on exercise professionals’ attitudes toward fatness. Participants were 105 exercise professionals who were employed at least part-time at university recreation centers in the United States. In this randomized controlled trial, participants were randomized into an intervention online course to decrease weight stigma or a control online course to learn about communication techniques to enhance motivation for physical activity. Attitudes about fatness were assessed at pre- and post-course using the Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit (FAAT). There were significant increases in the fat acceptance composite score in the intervention group compared to the control group, suggesting recreation center staff who completed the intervention WIT FITS course experienced more positive evaluations of fat people as a result of the intervention.

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Section: Intervention and Control Coursesmentioning

confidence: 99%

WIT FITS: Effects of Weight Stigma Intervention on Exercise Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Fatness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Zuest,

Lee,

Fogaça

et al. 2023

Recreational Sports Journal

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View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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An Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Reduce Weight Stigma Among Exercise Professionals

Lee,

Zuest,

Fogaça

et al. 2024

Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance

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A Systematic Review of Interventions That Aim to Reduce Implicit and Explicit Weight Biases among Fitness Professionals

Schneider,

Tinoco,

Scott

et al. 2024

Recreational Sports Journal

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Despite the high prevalence of weight bias among fitness professionals, few resources are currently available to educate fitness professionals about weight bias and no systematic review of weight bias interventions has been conducted among this population. This paper therefore reviewed extant weight bias interventions for fitness professionals to inform future weight bias-reduction initiatives. Seven reports comprising six studies were identified from inception until April 2024. Findings showed small to large improvements in explicit weight bias, particularly on the weight control/blame component. No improvements were observed in implicit weight bias. The results show an urgent need to bridge the gap between the resources currently available in the fitness industry and those developed by the scientific community and to develop novel multifaceted interventions that draw from multiple theories of attitude and behavior change to effectively tackle weight bias among fitness professionals.

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Weight Inclusive Thinking for Fitness Spaces (WIT FITS): A Pilot Study on the Effects of an Online Intervention on Exercise Professionals’ Anti-Fat Attitudes

Cited by 3 publications

References 43 publications

WIT FITS: Effects of Weight Stigma Intervention on Exercise Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Fatness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

WIT FITS: Effects of Weight Stigma Intervention on Exercise Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Fatness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

An Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Reduce Weight Stigma Among Exercise Professionals

A Systematic Review of Interventions That Aim to Reduce Implicit and Explicit Weight Biases among Fitness Professionals

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