How do Hispanic high school students in Mexico perceive those who are overweight?

Background: The issue of obesity is an international epidemic. The attitudes of individuals toward the obese can become an integral part of the planning of programs to address this epidemic. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of selected Hispanic high school students toward obese individuals and assess their concepts of "fat phobia," as a means of determining how to address stereotypes related to overweight people. Significance: This study represents the first study of its type to be conducted among Hispanic students in Mexico City. Methods: A valid and reliable 20 item attitude instrument initially developed by Allison, Basile, and Yuker (2006) and a 14 item Fat Phobia Scale developed by Bacon, Sheltema, and Robinson (2001) were administered to 250 high school students in a selected school in Mexico City. Demographic information including self-reported height and weight, age, gender, and self-perception of the individual's body weight were added to the instrument as independent variables used in later analysis. Findings: Students were consistent in how they self-reported their demographic characteristics. The greater the Body Mass Index of the students, the greater their "tolerance for obese individuals, and the less "fat phobia" they manifested as assessed using the two survey instruments. Students were very accurate in assessing their degree of "weight normalcy" in both survey instruments. Conclusions: Data from the present study can form the basis for developing nutrition and health education programs designed to assress fat phobia as well as weight reduction programs in this school population.