Are dietitians with obesity perceived as competent and warm? Applying the Stereotype Content Model to weight stigma in Brazil

The aim of this study was to understand how dietitians’ body size influences perceived competence and warmth, based on the Stereotype Content Model (SCM). Online data were collected from 1,039 Brazilians, who were either laypeople, registered dietitians, or nutrition students. Participants rated the competence and warmth dimensions of three dietitians who differed in sex, body weight, and age. Participants also indicated how likelythey would consult or recommend each dietitian for nutritional advice, and indicated their attitudes towards people with obesity [using The Antifat Attitudes Test (AFAT)]. Laypeople attributed less competence and warmth to all profiles compared to dietitians and students (p < 0.001). Three clusters occupied the SCM warmth-by-competence space. However, the clusters were different among groups (laypeople, dietitians, and students). For lay participants, the woman without overweight, the older woman, and the older man were located in the high competence/ medium warmth cluster. Meanwhile, the woman with obesity was located in the medium competence / high warmth cluster. The dietitians and students map found the woman with obesity and the older woman in a high competence and warmth cluster. In general, the woman with obesity, the man without obesity, and the older man can be classified as ambivalent stereotypes, the woman being perceived as more warm than competent and the men more competent than warm. Participants with high AFAT scores were less likely to consult or recommend to a family member a dietitian with obesity. This study contributes to identifying ambivalent stereotypes for dietitians. Dietitians with obesity can be seen as warm but less competent. Also, although less intense than laypeople, dietitians and students exhibited weight stigma. These findings can foster important discussions about weight stigma and emphasize the need to increase population awareness about the causes of obesity

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora