Method: The 14 item Short Form of the Fat Phobia scale ( Bacon, Scheltema, & Robinson, 2001) was translated into Spanish and Thai, ,approved by appropriate oversight (IRB) committees, and pilot tested to ensure cultural compatibility. The instrument was distributed to over 750 high school students in Mexico City and 500 students in Karnchanaburi, Thailand. Students responded to all items directly on the survey form. Data were manually entered into an Excel spreadsheet and cross checked prior to analysis. BMI, sex, and self-reported perception of personal weight status were used as dependent variables. Total fat phobia scores and individual fat phobia items were used as dependent variables. All data were collected by the research team so questions about any of the items could be explained.
Analysis/Results: The Cronbach alpha was .67 (Mexican) and .71 (Thailand) respectively. Thai students as a group and by sex had more fat phobias than Mexican students. No significant differences in scores between male and female Mexican participants were detected. Thai females had significantly higher fat phobia scores than their male counterparts.
Conclusions: This study represents a seminal effort to examine fat phobia among HS students in two different countries using the same survey instrument. Fat phobias represent unfounded fears and potential stereotypes. The results of studies such as this can be used to develop school health programs to counteract negative beliefs about obese individuals.