Obesity bias common among chiropractic students and faculty

A new study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Education reveals that both pre-clinical and clinical students, and pre-clinical and clinical DC faculty harboured anti-obesity attitudes and moderate anti-obesity beliefs. 

This research surfaces as the medical profession in Canada is also being challenged – most recently by a now deceased Vancouver woman.

The cross-sectional study used the Beliefs About Obese Persons scale and the Attitudes Toward Obese Persons scale. 

Although pre-clinical faculty did not demonstrate more biased attitudes than did pre-clinical students, they were more biased than clinical students.

Speaking on the results, the authors say: “Traditionally, teaching many of the characteristics of professionalism has been relegated to role-modeling rather than by formal instruction and assessment. With the prevalence of antiobesity attitudes among faculty reported in this study and with findings from previous research reporting students witnessing lapses in professionalism among faculty and clinical supervisors during both clinical and preclinical training. this may no longer serve as a sufficient solution as it may leave students vulnerable to negative effects of the hidden curriculum.”

You can read the full report here.