Explicit Weight Bias Concerns in the Fitness Industry: A Quantitative Analysis

Abstract

Limited and conflicting research is available regarding weight biases in the fitness industry, yet implications of such biases are pervasive. Individuals in larger bodies often experience stigma and prejudices due to their weight, and anti-fat attitudes have been normalized in the fitness industry and associated educational pipelines. Current literature on weight biases in the fitness industry lacks context and fails to examine these biases from an intersectional lens. Therefore, this study explored how social identities (e.g., age, gender, race, etc.) influence weight biases in fitness professionals. Fitness professionals completed an electronic survey that included demographic questions and measures of weight bias (Anti-Fat Attitudes Test; AFAT) and body dissatisfaction (Contour Drawing Rating Scale). Women in the healthy (2.02 $\pm$ 0.51) and overweight (1.97 $\pm$ 0.49) BMI categories had significantly greater total AFAT scores ($p = .003$ and $p = .023$, respectively) compared to women in the obese BMI category (1.63 $\pm$ 0.48). For participants who had completed some college, those who were classified in the healthy BMI category had significantly greater total AFAT scores (2.05 $\pm$ 0.50) compared to those in the overweight BMI category (1.72 $\pm$ 0.46). For participants who completed a master’s degree, those in the healthy BMI category (2.08 $\pm$ 0.56) and overweight BMI category (2.05 $\pm$ 0.43) had significantly greater total AFAT scores compared to those in the obese BMI category (1.48 $\pm$ 0.46). There was a direct effect of gender, body dissatisfaction, race, and BMI on AFAT subscales. There was also a significant direct effect of body dissatisfaction on AFAT subscales. Across all variables, AFAT scores were highest for the physical subscale (2.69 $\pm$ 0.91) and lowest for the social subscale (1.43 $\pm$ 0.45). Fitness professionals exhibit explicit weight biases, and future research should examine the implications of such biases.