Determining the Relationship Between Trust in Doctors and Health at Every Size

This study conducted a cross-sectional study amongst students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) that assessed degree of belief in Health at Every Size (HAES) and an accompanying Trust in Doctors to see if there was a significant relationship between the two variables. The HAES survey was constructed specifically for the use in this research and was constructed in a 0-10-point Likert scale in order to establish a gradient of belief in HAES. To identify degree of trust in doctors, a pre-established item-bank was drawn from and coupled with the piloted survey. The sample size included 400 UCF students which was gathered using digital surveys, which allowed for swift gathering of data. The data collected indicated a significant association between the varying levels of trust in doctors and the performance on the HAES spectrum. We found that while trust increased, scores on the HAES spectrum decreased. Thus, we were able to reject the null hypothesis and assume the relationship to be significant. Further testing heralded there to be no significant difference between STEM majors and non-STEM majors when assessing for both trust in doctors and belief in HAES. This study serves as groundwork for future assessment of belief in HAES as the movement evolves or devolves. Further, this survey fills a gap in the literature that assesses perception of HAES and trust in doctors as it pertains to young adults (18-24-years old)