Özet:

Objective: It is important to reveal the obesity bias of teachers who can play an active role in the fight against childhood obesity, which is an important health problem of today. In this study, it was aimed to determine the obesity prejudice status of primary school teachers in Kırşehir city center and their approaches towards obese students. Material and Methods: 200 primary school teachers were included in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were collected face-to-face through a questionnaire. The obesity bias status of the teachers was evaluated by using the “GAMS-27 Obesity Bias Scale” (OBS). An increase in the score obtained from the OBS means an increase in the prejudice against obese people. Descriptive findings were expressed as numbers and percentages. Pearson chi-square, t-test and one-way ANOVA test were used for comparative analyses, and Duncan test was used for post hoc analyses. p<0.05 values were considered significant. Results: The mean age of the teachers was 45.11±7.75 years, 52.0% were women and 93.5% were married. The mean score of the teachers from the OBS was 80.23±11.37. According to their own statements, 2% of the teachers defined themselves as prejudiced against the obese. Teachers who declared that obese students had a worse course status and that they were worse in friendships than other students had a lower OBS score, while teachers who claimed that they were satisfied with the weight of obese students had a higher OBS score. Teachers who declared that they would not interfere when students consume an unhealthy food had higher PSS score averages. Almost all of the teachers were positive about the cooperation with health professionals in order to ensure adequate and balanced nutrition of the students. Conclusion: While few of the teachers stated that they were prejudiced against the obese, most of them were determined to be biased or prone to prejudice against the obese.

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