Percepção de contágio associado à obesidade em crianças de idade pré-escolar

Abstract

In view of negative stereotypes and discriminatory behaviour of preschool children toward other obese children and based on the concepts of illness of young children, we seek with investigation to analyze if preschool children perceive other obese children as potential agents for transmission of physical discomfort and if this perception is influenced by different ways of contagion (ingestion or physical contact) and by age (4 or 5 years old). Participants were 64 children of both sexes with 4 and 5 years old. They attended in the academic year of 2008/2009 two nurseries schools of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Barcelos. To assess the association of contagion to obese children were told stories illustrated with photographs and pictures. The results showed that obese children are more frequently considered a source of transmission of physical discomfort than other sources of contagion and that this association of contagion is so frequent when the stimuli involved ingestion as physical contact. The hypothesis of increased association of contagion relatively to obese children in children with 5 years old wasn’t confirmed. These findings support the view of contagion and contamination of preschool children provide a basis for explaining the negative stereotypes and discrimination toward obese that are already evident in the childhood.

Date of Award	24 Feb 2010
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Eduarda Maria Pimentel Marques Rodrigues (Supervisor)