P60: Teaching the Health At Every Size Paradigm to Future Fitness and Health Professionals

Abstract

How can we spread the word about the Health At Every Size (HAES) paradigm? Members of SNE's Weight Realities Division prepared a Power Point presentation to help educate others about HAES. They also prepared pre- and posttests (with Likert scale ratings from 1-5) to evaluate the presentation's impact. I included HAES in “Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Disease,” a college course taken primarily by Fitness/Wellness and Exercise Science students. Students were assigned to read a research article (Bacon et al., JADA 105:929-936, 2005) in the week between the pretest and the day of the HAES presentation in class. Matching pre- and post-test data were available from 129 students: 83% of students improved in their overall understanding of HAES, moving from a mean of 2.7 (some understanding) to 4.3 (good understanding); 77% improved in their attitude from a mean of 2.4 (somewhat negative) to 4.4 (somewhat positive); 76% increased in recognizing that HAES is evidence-based (from a mean of 3.2, not sure, to 4.1, somewhat agree); and 47% decreased (a positive response) in seeing calorie restriction and exercise for weight loss as ways to combat the obesity epidemic (mean changed from 3.8 to 3.2). These changes were statistically significant (P < .0001). The combination of the assigned reading and the Weight Realities' HAES presentation was effective in improving students' understanding and attitudes toward HAES. It is hoped that these students will contribute to a ripple effect in promoting HAES as they enter fitness and health professions.