Weight Sensitivity Training Among Undergraduate Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: A Curriculum Embedded Weight Sensitivity Training program (CeWebs) was integrated into an undergraduate nursing course to improve attitudes and beliefs toward individuals with obesity. Method: A one-group repeated measures study was conducted to compare students' pretest and posttest attitudes and beliefs using the Attitudes Toward Obese Persons (ATOP) and Beliefs About Obese Persons (BAOP) at the beginning and end of the semester. Results: Comparison of pretraining and posttraining scores of 125 junior nursing students on ATOP (73.96 ± 15.02 and 84.59 ± 15.39, respectively) indicated a significant increase in scores ( p < .01), which reflects more positive attitudes. Comparison of pretraining and posttraining BAOP scores (18.20 ± 6.84 and 22.22 ± 7.87, respectively) indicated a significant ( p < .01) increase in scores, indicating beliefs that obesity is not controllable. Conclusion: These findings suggest that embedding weight sensitivity training into undergraduate nursing curricula may improve attitudes and beliefs toward patients with obesity. [ J Nurs Educ . 2020;59(8):453–456.]

Development of a weight bias reduction intervention for third‐year nursing students

“…Nurses are vulnerable to perpetuating weight bias and must be prepared to deliver equal and unbiased patient care. [13][14][15] Up to 46% of patients with obesity have reported experiencing weight bias from nurses during routine healthcare visits. 16,17 Along with raising students' awareness about the complexities of obesity and its disease process, alerting them about the prevalence of weight-related bias and the effects of stigmatization on patient care should be addressed early in the nursing career.…”

“…Previous curriculum-embedded WBR programmes conducted by the authors precluded the randomization of groups and were mostly didactic in nature; therefore additional emphasis on interactive components was requested by students and clinical faculty. 15 In this pilot, cluster-randomized trial, we evaluated two-WBR programmes of different content and intensity to evaluate whether including modules designed to enhance self-reflection and critical thinking through weight-based case study scenarios, interdisciplinary dialogue and sharing results of validated tools measuring biased attitudes and beliefs were more effective in improving attitudes and beliefs towards individuals with obesity than training more limited to educational content. 15…”

“…15 In this pilot, cluster-randomized trial, we evaluated two-WBR programmes of different content and intensity to evaluate whether including modules designed to enhance self-reflection and critical thinking through weight-based case study scenarios, interdisciplinary dialogue and sharing results of validated tools measuring biased attitudes and beliefs were more effective in improving attitudes and beliefs towards individuals with obesity than training more limited to educational content. 15…”

Nursing students' perspectives on observed weight bias in healthcare settings: A qualitative study

“…This paper reports on nursing students' perspectives of perceived and observed weight bias by HCPs practicing in the healthcare setting, as reported through reflective journal entries. Students' responses, which explored their personal beliefs and attitudes regarding weight bias, are reported elsewhere 23 . The key findings reported in this paper were the unexpected areas of weight bias observed from practicing HCPs by the nursing student.…”

“…This study is part of a mixed‐method parent study that implemented a curriculum‐embedded weight‐sensitivity training for third‐year nursing students during their adult and older adult clinical practicum 23 . Descriptive qualitative findings from individual students' reflective journals were analyzed.…”