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NCT Number: NCT06192537

Examining the Effect of Role-playing Exercise by Utilizing an Obesity Suit in a Simulation Scenario on Weight Bias and Empathy Levels Among Nutrition Sciences Students

A quasi-experimental design (i.e., "One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design") will be applied among 34 convenient samples of undergraduate students in their first year of nutrition sciences program at Ariel University and Tel-Hai College. The intervention will take place at the simulation centers of the institutions. All participants will be asked to wear an obesity simulation suit (Unisex obesity Simulation suit, Erler-Zimmer, Germany) and to participate in a standardized scenario that simulates meetings between a person with obesity and a 'registered dietitian'. The 'registered dietitian' will be presented by a professional role-player and the scenario will encompass different levels of weight bias. At baseline, 1- and 3-week post-intervention both groups will be asked to fill in a survey using "Qualtrics" software. The survey will include the Anti-Fat Attitudes questionnaire (AFA), the Short-Form of Fat-Phobia scale (F-scale), the Weight-Implicit Association-Test (weight-IAT), and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy. Data on demographics, weight history, and perception, measurement of actual weight and height, and the beliefs about the causes of obesity questionnaire will be collected at baseline.

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Key information

Conditions

Obesity Behavior Bias, Weight Body Weight Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Prejudice Signs and Symptoms Social Behavior Weight Prejudice

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Ariel University

Ariel, 40700, Israel

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • undergraduate students in their first year of the nutrition sciences program at Ariel University or Tel-Hai College
  • age ≥18 years
  • having fluency in Hebrew
  • ability to wear an obesity suit
  • willingness to participate in the study

Treatment and study plan

A role-playing exercise by utilizing an obesity suit in a simulation scenario

Behavioral

All participants will be asked to wear an obesity simulation suit (Unisex obesity Simulation suit, Erler-Zimmer, Germany) and to participate in a standardized scenario that simulates meetings between a person with obesity and a 'registered dietitian'. The 'registered dietitian' will be presented by a professional role-player and the scenario will encompass different levels of weight bias through dialogue and the use of inappropriate equipment.

Primary outcomes

  1. Anti-Fat Attitudes questionnaire ('AFA')

    Time frame: Change from baseline at three- weeks post-intervention

    The 'AFA' indicates explicit anti-fat attitudes toward people with obesity and is composed of 13-items rated on a 10-point Likert scale and divided into three subscales ('dislike', 'fear about fat' and 'willpower'), with higher total scores indicating stronger anti-fat attitudes.

  2. The short-form of fat-phobia scale (' F-scale')

    Time frame: Change from baseline at three- weeks post-intervention

    The 'F-scale' indicates fat-phobic attitudes toward people with obesity and is composed of 14-pairs of adjectives that are used to describe people with obesity (e.g., 'no willpower' vs. 'has willpower') and ranked on a 1-5 scale according to the point closest to the adjective name that describes their feelings and beliefs. Higher scores indicate stronger fat-phobic attitudes.

  3. Weight Implicit Association Test ('IAT')

    Time frame: Change from baseline at three- weeks post-intervention

    IAT tool is an indirect measure of implicit bias toward weight which uses the constructs of "fat people" versus "thin people" and the polarized attitudes of "good" and "bad" to detect implicit weight bias.

  4. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (S-version)

    Time frame: Change from baseline at three- weeks post-intervention

    A 20-item scale that is designed to measure empathy in medical students.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Demographics

    Time frame: At baseline

    Questions regarding age, gender, occupation, marital status, and religious affiliation.

  2. Weight perception

    Time frame: At baseline

    Questions regarding self-definition of weight status, the importance of weight to self-confidence, and much control a person has over the weight.

  3. Weight history

    Time frame: At baseline

    Questions regarding obesity during childhood, obesity during last decade, family members who struggle with obesity, currently in any process of losing weight.

  4. Objective weight measurement

    Time frame: At baseline

    Measurement of actual weight in kilograms.

  5. Objective height measurement

    Time frame: At baseline

    Measurement of actual height in meters.

  6. The beliefs about the causes of obesity questionnaire

    Time frame: At baseline

    Rating the importance of 20 factors contributing to obesity by using a 5-point Likert-scale response format.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ariel University

Other

Collaborators

  • Tel Hai College

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Jan 5, 2024
Registry last updated
Sep 5, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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