Knowledge of Obesity and Attitude towards Obese People among Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Undergraduate Nursing Students
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Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
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Background: Obesity is a chronic, complicated health concern that affects mental and physical health. Obesity affects millions worldwide and this issue includes Malaysia. Nursing students must understand obesity and have a favourable attitude towards obese persons to participate in obesity prevention, education, and management. Objectives: This study aims to assess UNIMAS undergraduate nursing students' obesity knowledge, attitudes towards obese people, and examine the relationship between obesity knowledge and attitudes towards obese people. Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among UNIMAS undergraduate nursing students. 163 participants were selected from first year until fourth year. The research instrument featured 35 questions which consisted of 3 section which are sociodemographic, Knowledge regarding Obesity from Moyo & Felix (2024), and ATOP Scale from Allison et al. (1991). The data collected from this study was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 27.0. Results: 68.1% of UNIMAS nursing students showed a good level of knowledge regarding obesity and 64.4% have positive attitude towards obese people. No significant correlation between knowledge and attitude, rₛ (163) = -.014, p = .861. Conclusion: In summary, a significant majority of the UNIMAS undergraduate nursing students demonstrated a good knowledge of obesity and a positive attitude towards obese people. However, there was no relationship between knowledge of obesity and attitude towards obese people among UNIMAS undergraduate nursing students.