145 - Does Dissection Influence Weight Bias Among Doctor of Physical Therapy Students?

Poster Board Number: 145
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Michael Pascoe, PhD - Associate Professor, Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Abstract Body :
Introduction: Gross anatomy with human dissection is important to develop respect for the human body and professionalism. It has been suggested that dissection may worsen medical students’ attitudes about body size and shape. All healthcare trainees are required to complete gross anatomy. In the United States (US), there are no data on weight bias among physical therapists or doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students, and how dissection impacts their views on weight. The purpose of this study was to measure weight bias among DPT students enrolled in gross anatomy at two US universities and determine if, and how the experience of dissection impacts weight bias.METHODS: Ninety-seven DPT students (70 University of Colorado [CU], 27 Moravian University [MU]) were invited to complete a survey during the first and final weeks of their anatomy course. CU students participated in dissection, while MU students learned through virtual anatomy. The first survey included demographic items and two measures of weight bias; the Modified Weight Bias Internalized Scale (M-WBIS) and the Attitudes Towards Obese Persons (ATOP) Scale. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine differences in BMI, M-WBIS and ATOP scores at baseline and at the end of the semester. Correlational analysis was performed to investigate any relationship between BMI and weight bias at baseline and change scores.RESULTS: Fifty of the CU and 17 of the MU students submitted the first survey, and (22) CU and (9) MU students completed the follow up. At baseline, there were no significant differences (P>0.202) in ATOP, M-WBIS or BMI between the two universities. The mean M-WBIS score across both programs was 2.8 ± 1.3. The mean ATOP score across both programs was 72.9 ± 15.8. There were no significant changes in ATOP (P=0.566) or M-WBIS scores (P=0.428) in either group. BMI had a low correlation with initial M-WBIS scores (⍴=0.294, P=0.038) and a high correlation with change scores in CU students (⍴=0.530, P=0.011).CONCLUSIONS: DPT students exhibit a high degree of internalized weight bias and negative attitudes towards obesity, well above the population norms. Change in internalized weight bias among CU students was strongly correlated with BMI, suggesting that BMI influences the modifiability of weight bias. Participating in human dissection had no correlation with change in weight bias.SIGNIFICANCE: Since weight bias is associated with poor health outcomes, it is critical to understand how weight bias influences PTs and to develop interventions to mitigate weight bias. Future studies should utilize the same measures of weight bias in other healthcare trainees to facilitate comparison and incorporate larger populations of DPT students.