Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02745405

Implications of Wearing a Fat Suit

This study examined how wearing a fat suit might lead individuals to experience the negative effects of weight based stigmatization, including psychological, behavioral, and physiological consequences. It also aimed to test using the fat suit as a possible intervention tactic to reduce weight stigma.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Feeding Behaviors Behavior Behavior, Animal Feeding Behavior Prejudice Social Behavior Weight Prejudice

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

The goal of this study was to understand how embodying a stigmatized domain might elicit the same consequences investigators see in victims of weight stigma. Participants were randomly assigned to either manipulate their weight through wearing a fat suit prosthesis or to a control condition where they wore the same clothing that was on the fat suit but in their own size. Outcome variables were cortisol reactivity, psychological well-being, and food and drink consumption. Additionally, this study tested whether wearing the fat suit might serve as an effective weight stigma reduction effort.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants had to be registered in the UCLA Department of Psychology Subject Pool.

Exclusion criteria

  • No specific exclusion criteria.

Treatment and study plan

Fat Suit

Other

Participants wear a fat suit.

Control condition

Other

Participants wear same clothing as intervention, but in their own size.

Primary outcomes

  1. Eating behavior measured via grams of food consumed

    Time frame: ~10-minutes post-manipulation

    M&Ms, potato chips, and full-sugar soda consumption

Secondary outcomes

  1. Cortisol reactivity

    Time frame: ~20 minutes post-manipulation

  2. Antifat Attitudes measured via electronic questionnaire

    Time frame: ~30 minutes after post-manipulation

  3. Psychological Well-Being measured via electronic questionnaires

    Time frame: ~15 minutes post-manipulation

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

A. Janet Tomiyama

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Implications of Wearing a Fat Suit for Eating, Physiological Stress, and Psychological Well-Being

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2014
Study completion
2014
First posted
Apr 20, 2016
Registry last updated
Apr 20, 2016

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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.