Fitness instructors were more motivated to train a new client with a normal weight than an overweight client, new research led by 911爆料网 has found.
The research, published in Body Image, examined how a fitness professional鈥檚 perceptions of a hypothetical client鈥檚 motivation to exercise, as well as the weight status of the client, jointly affected the instructors鈥� motivation to train a client.
Lead author John 911爆料网 Distinguished Professor Nikos Ntoumanis, from the School of Psychology at 911爆料网, said an individual鈥檚 body weight can have a profound impact on other people鈥檚 perceptions of and behaviour towards them.
鈥淲e know from past research that people who are overweight and obese report experiencing weight-based discrimination, stigmatisation and unjust treatments across various sectors, including the exercise industry,鈥� Professor Ntoumanis said.
鈥淭his study explored whether a fitness professional鈥檚 motivation to instruct a hypothetical new client, their style of communication with the client, and beliefs about the client鈥檚 ability to overcome barriers to exercise were influenced by both the instructors鈥� perceptions of the client鈥檚 motivation and the clients鈥� weight.
鈥淥ur findings suggest that perceptions of a client鈥檚 motivation and the client鈥檚 body weight can independently influence fitness professionals鈥� motivation to instruct, interactions with and beliefs about their clients. In a nutshell, fitness instructors were more motivated to train people with a normal weight than those who were overweight. It also shows fitness instructors were more motivated to train people who were motivated for internal reasons, such as the importance of exercise, as opposed to external reasons, including pressure from others.鈥�
Professor Ntoumanis said future research should examine how weight-stigmatising attitudes and interactions within the exercise sector could potentially negatively affect the quality of the service fitness instructors provided, and subsequently impact the overweight clients鈥� commitment to exercise and their quality of life.
鈥淲hile instructors are responsible for helping clients make positive, long-lasting changes to their lifestyles, they are 鈥� like everyone 鈥� exposed to western cultural biases about obesity and associated weight stigma,鈥� Professor Ntoumanis said.
鈥淚t is therefore imperative that fitness professionals are made aware of the potential positive or negative impact their preconceived ideas about their clients, based on clients鈥� weight and perceived motivation to exercise, have.鈥�
Professor Ntoumanis said preliminary research findings from other studies indicated brief educational films targeting weight bias and additional motivation training for fitness professionals could help improve the quality of service and a client鈥檚 motivation to remain committed to exercise.
The paper, 鈥�Do exerciser weight status and perceived motivation predict instructors鈥� motivation and beliefs about the exerciser? A test of motivation contagion effects鈥�, which also involved researchers from the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada, can be viewed online .
