The Information Needs and Information Behaviors of the Fat Acceptance Community

Abstract

Fat people face discrimination every day due to body size, including from family, friends, and medical personnel, and it can be difficult to find adequate, unbiased, and accurate information on a variety of topics. Utilizing a survey, which contained open- and closed-ended questions, as well as semi-structured interviews, this dissertation studied the information needs and behaviors of the fat acceptance (FA) community. Through these methods the researcher uncovered thematic patterns of participants, their needs and behaviors, and their perspectives on the availability of FA-related information. This included areas where adequate information is available, areas where there is some information that is either not enough, or not in-depth enough, and areas where there is a great need for improvement. This study could serve as a gateway to more specific or deeper exploration of the various themes uncovered, or as preliminary user research for constructing a system that would service the information needs of the FA community.