GENETIC ATTRIBUTIONS AND RACIALIZED PERCEPTIONS OF OBESITY

The proposed research will examine primary care physicians’ attitudes and beliefs about genetic causes of obesity in Black and White patients, as well as perceptions among Black and White adults with obesity of physicians who endorse genetic explanations of obesity, using a cross- sectional survey, experimental social science methodology, and qualitative focus-groups. The results will inform strategies for combatting misguided notions of genetic differences between racial groups as the basis for obesity-related health disparities and for ensuring that the integration of genetics into healthcare for patients with obesity does not harm members of minoritized groups who are already at the highest risk of obesity-related health problems.