Attitudes and perceptions of fitness professionals regarding obesity

The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of exercise professiona ls regarding obesity. A three page, 25-item survey was mailed to a random s ample of 500 certified Health Fitness Instructors, Exercise Test Technologi sts, and Exercise Specialists from a certification list provided by the Ame rican College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The return rate was 66%. Most exer cise professionals (74%) supervised or worked directly with obese clients i n an exercise/fitness setting. The majority of exercise professionals belie ved that normal weight is very important to a person's health, that physica l activity is very important in the treatment of obesity, that they should be role models by maintaining normal weight, that they are obligated to cou nsel obese persons concerning the health risks of obesity, that they are ve ry competent to prescribe exercise programs for weight loss, and that couns eling obese persons on exercise for weight loss is professionally gratifyin g. The majority of exercise professionals also believed sedentary lifestyle s, poor eating behavior, excessive calorie consumption, and psychological p roblems play a major role in most obesity. Exercise professionals reported that they received most of their information on weight control from textboo ks, college classes, scientific journals, workshops/seminars, and past expe rience.