Digesting Antifat Attitudes: Locus of Control and Social Dominance Orientation

Defined as the faulty assumptions about and general dislike of heavy individuals, antifat attitudes are pervasive and pose numerous consequences for the health of people who are overweight. Despite the continual rise of obesity rates in the United States, there is a paucity of research examining the underlying psychosocial factors associated with antifat attitudes. This study used hierarchical regression to examine the unique contributions of weight and health locus of control and social dominance orientation to antifat attitudes in a mixed sample (N = 630) of community members and college students after controlling for fear of becoming overweight and belief in the controllability of weight. Results revealed that health locus of control and social dominance orientation contributed uniquely and positively to antifat attitudes, with the complete model explaining 24% of the variance. Based on these results and previous literature, implications for practice and research are discussed.