547 - Evaluation of a Weight Bias Curriculum for Pediatric Residents

Poster Number: 547
Publication Number: 547.229

Cambria Garell, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Jordan A. Levinson, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States; A. Janet Tomiyama, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Background: Pediatric patients with obesity face weight bias and stigma from their community, families, media, and healthcare providers. Many physicians hold implicit and explicit biases against patients with overweight. Healthcare related weight stigma negatively affects patients’ quality of life and can have several deleterious effects on their health.

Objective: 1. Develop a weight bias curriculum for pediatric residents using the Transformative Learning Theory conceptual framework, with sessions fulfilling the elements of the disorienting experience, critical reflection, acquiring skills, and role modeling
new behavior.
2. Measure pre/post changes from the weight bias curriculum on pediatric residents’ implicit and explicit weight bias scores using the Weight Bias Implicit Association Tests (IAT) and the Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit (FAAT).


Design/Methods: The curriculum contained six didactic, role play, or reflection activities. Effectiveness of the curriculum was measured using Kirkpatrick’s Evaluation Framework. Learners’ reaction to the curriculum was collected anonymously online immediately after the rotation as well as through a post rotation discussion. To assess change in knowledge and behavior around weight bias, implicit and explicit bias was measured at baseline before the curriculum and immediately after completion of the curriculum two weeks later.

Results: Eleven second year pediatric residents enrolled in the UCLA Public Health Ambulatory Basics and Beyond (PHABB) track completed all elements of the curriculum over two weeks in December 2022. Residents completed an online anonymous evaluation asking them how much they agreed that the material taught was informative, engaging, and delivered effectively on a 5 point Likert scale (Strongly Agree, Agree, Uncertain, Disagree, Strongly Disagree). Residents (n=11) reported an average score of 4.5 out of a total of 5 for the six elements of the weight bias curriculum. Pre-curriculum Weight Bias IAT showed the presence of significant implicit anti-fat bias (n=12, Mean d-score -0.51, p-value = 0.0003) while post-curriculum IAT did not show significant evidence of implicit anti-fat bias (n=10, Mean d-score –0.28, p-value = 0.08). Explicit weight bias (FAAT) scales showed a trend towards lower explicit bias scores on the critical health, general complexity, and responsibility scales.

Conclusion(s): A weight bias curriculum for pediatric residents is well received by the learners and may decrease implicit weight bias scores and reduce explicit bias.