Be. Robinson et al., FAT PHOBIA - MEASURING, UNDERSTANDING, AND CHANGING ANTI-FAT ATTITUDES, The International journal of eating disorders, 14(4), 1993, pp. 467-480
We examined fat phobia, defined as a pathological fear of fatness, by
constructing the Fat Phobia Scale, determining its reliability and val
idity, examining correlates of fat phobia, and using a treatment appro
ach designed to decrease fat phobia. Study 1 describes the development
of the Fat Phobia Scale, a 50-item, modified 5-point semantic differe
ntial scale. Subjects (974 females and 117 males) completed the scale;
factor analysis yielded six factors. Respondents who are average weig
ht, female, younger, have more than a high school education, or are no
nmedical professionals are more likely to have fat phobic attitudes. S
tudy 2 examines fat phobic attitudes of women (N = 40) who had negativ
e feelings about their bodies. Subjects completed the Fat Phobia Scale
before and after a treatment approach designed to reduce their feelin
gs of responsibility for fatness. Total scores on the Fat Phobia Scale
and scores on all six factors decreased significantly, indicating a d
ecrease in fat phobia. (C) 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.