Gaziantep ili kamu hastaneleri kurumuna bağlı görev yapan sağlık çalışanlarının obezite önyargı düzeylerinin saptanması

Aims: The aim of this study was to measure the obesity prejudice and empathic tendency of health personnel working in public hospitals in Gaziantep.Methods: 458 healthcare professionals working in Gaziantep province participated in the study. Data were collected using “GAMS-27 Obesity Bias Scale (OBS)” and “Empathic Tendency Scale (ETS)”.Results: It was determined that 17.5% of the healthcare professionals were unprejudiced, 53.9% were prone to prejudice and 28.6% were prejudiced. However, 9.8% of them stated that their attitudes towards obese individuals were prejudiced and 90.2% were not prejudiced. Single people were found to be more prejudiced against obesity than married people. It was found that emergency department were more prejudiced against obese individuals and had lower empathic tendencies compared to other units. Obesity prejudice scores and empathic tendency scores of those who were satisfied with their physical appearance were significantly higher than those who were not satisfied. There was a weak positive relationship between obesity prejudice score and empathic tendency score, and a weak negative relationship between age and number of children. There was a weak positive correlation between empathic tendency score and obesity prejudice score, and a weak positive correlation between age and number of children and empathic tendency score. The mean score of the Empathic Tendency Scale (ETS) of the healthcare professionals was 69.42.Conclusion: It was determined that healthcare professionals, especially those who considered themselves as thin, young and single, were prejudiced against obesity.