Table 1.

Percentages of parents (N = 658) endorsing negative attitudes toward children with obesity.

Items	% Endorsing Bias
1. Obese children are as happy as nonobese children	22.8%
2. Most obese children feel that they are not as good as other children.	40.6%
3. Most obese children are more self-conscious than other children.	63.2%
4. Obese students cannot be as successful as other students.	9.0%
5. Most nonobese children would not want to date or marry anyone who is obese.	24.6%
6. Severely obese children are usually untidy.	15.6%
7. Obese children are usually sociable.	12.0%
8. Most obese children are not dissatisfied with themselves.	29.9%
9. Obese children are just as self-confident as other children.	29.2%
10. Most people feel uncomfortable when they associate with obese children.	18.5%
11. Obese children are often less aggressive than nonobese children.	13.7%
12. Most obese children have different personalities than nonobese children.	16.3%
13. Very few obese children are ashamed of their weight.	41.6%
14. Most obese children resent normal weight children.	15.9%
15. Obese children are more emotional than nonobese children.	16.3%
16. Obese children should not expect to lead normal lives.	6.3%
17. Obese children are just as healthy as nonobese children.	52.0%
18. Obese children are just as attractive as nonobese children.	23.5%
19. Obese children tend to have family problems.	12.2%
20. One of the worse things that could happen to a child would be for him to become obese.	16.8%

Note. Percentages indicate how many parents endorsed “moderately” or “strongly” agree for each item. Reverse-scored items are italicized and the associated percentages indicate how many parents endorsed “moderately” or “strongly” disagree.