Explicit and Implicit Measures of Weight Stigma in Young Children

Weight-related attitudes refer to negative attitudes toward individuals because they are overweight or obese. These attitudes are widespread among children and adults and have been proven to be recalcitrant to intervention. To develop more effective interventions, it is necessary to understand the origin and development of explicit and implicit weight-related attitudes. In the present study, we administered two measures of explicit weight-related attitudes and an adaptation of an established social cognitive measure (Implicit Association Test) to 84 children (4-to 7-year-olds). Three main findings emerged. First, the two measures of explicit weight-related attitudes were significantly correlated, suggesting they may be tapping into a similar underlying construct. Second, implicit weight-related attitudes tended to higher in older children. Third, explicit and implicit weight-related attitudes were not related to each other. Implications for interventions to reduce weight-related attitudes are discussed.