Weight Bias during Early and Middle Childhood: Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive Responses to Overweight Peers

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic -Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Abstract

Children demonstrate weight prejudice in their affective, behavioral, and cognitive responses to overweight peers. Affective responses include overt dislike of overweight peers; for example, children report they dislike overweight children more than those with other stigmatizing conditions (Koroni et al., 2009). Behavioral responses include discriminatory behaviors and behavioral intentions; many children report that they will not play with, befriend, or help hypothetical overweight peers (Patel & Holub, 2011). Cognitive responses include negative stereotypes; for example, children attribute being mean, dumb, and ugly to overweight peers (Margulies et al., 2008). The first aim of this study was to examine associations between affective, behavioral, and cognitive responses to weight bias during early and middle childhood.

Congruent with attribution theory, Musher-Eizenman et al., (2004) found that children who believe that overweight peers are responsible for their weight (internal controllability attributions) show more negative stereotypes (cognitive response), but were not less likely to select overweight children as friends (behavioral response; Musher-Eizenman et al., 2004). Thus, the second aim was to examine whether controllability attributions predicted each component of prejudice and whether this varied by developmental stage.

Four to 6-year olds (N= 45, M age = 5.24; 40% boys) and 8- to 10-year olds (N= 40, M age = 9.20; 55% boys) participated in this study. Affective responses were measured using a modified version of Crandall’s (1994) Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire. Behavioral intentions were measured using a modified version of the general/social subscale of the Shared Activities Questionnaire (SAQ; Morgan et al., 2000). Cognitive responses were measured using the adjective rating scale (Musher-Eizenman et al., 2004). Controllability attributions were measured using Musher-Eizenman’s et al., (2004) controllability beliefs scale. Social desirability was measured using the Young Children’s Social Desirability Scale (Ford & Rubin, 1970).

The early childhood group reported more dislike of overweight children, fewer behavioral intentions to engage with overweight children, and more external attributions of control compared to the middle childhood group, all ps < .05. Partial correlations, controlling for social desirability, show the strongest associations between affective and behavioral responses for both age groups (Table 1). Fisher’s r to z transformations suggest these associations are stronger during middle than early childhood.

Hierarchical regression analyses included age group, BMI percentile, and social desirability in the first step; controllability attributions in the second; and the interaction between age group and controllability attributions in the third (Table 2). For affective response, the interaction between age group and attributions was significant (internal controllability attributions were related to more dislike, but only for the early childhood group). For behavioral response, controllability attributions were a significant predictor; the interaction was not. Attributions did not predict cognition.

Strength of associations between the different components of prejudice depend on which two are being considered, as well as developmental stage. Controllability attributions only predicted some components of weight bias (and in one case, differently based on developmental stage). This study highlights the importance of carefully considering the way weight bias is measured and highlights the need for more developmental research on weight prejudice.

Authors

• Shayla C Holub, University of Texas at Dallas
  Presenting Author

• Melissa Heinrich, University of Texas at Dallas
  Non-Presenting Author

• Callie Brooke De La Cerda, University of Texas at Dallas
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sanobar Patel
  Non-Presenting Author