Highlights
- •Nursing students are prone to prejudice and stigmatization towards obese individuals.
- •The stigmatization levels of the students living in extended families are high.
- •The level of stigmatization increases with age.
- •The prejudice levels of senior students are high.
- •As stigmatization levels increase, prejudice towards obesity increases as well.
Abstract
Aim
The study was conducted to determine the prejudice and stigmatization levels of nursing
students towards obese individuals.
Design and methods
This descriptive and correlational study was conducted in Turkey in 2021 with 233
students in the nursing department of a state university. The data were collected
using the Information Form, GAMS-27 Obesity Prejudice Scale, and the Stigma Scale.
Independent sample t-test, One-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were used
to analyze the data.
Results
The findings suggest that the students are prone to prejudice and their tendency to
stigmatize is high. It was found that the difference between the student's year of
study and obesity prejudices, and between family types and stigmatization levels was
significant. It was determined that the stigmatization levels of the students were
a determining factor on the obesity prejudice levels and there was a weak positive
correlation between them.
Conclusions
Nursing students are prone to showing prejudice towards obese individuals and their
stigmatization levels are high. In this respect, it is recommended that prejudice
and stigmatization issues regarding obesity should be included in the nursing curriculum
before students start their professional life.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 07, 2022
Accepted:
June 2,
2022
Received in revised form:
May 23,
2022
Received:
March 15,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
