The Exploration of an Active Training Tool to Reduce Weight Bias Among Students Pursuing a Healthcare-related Degree

Overview

An open-label parallel RCT will be conducted among 220 students pursuing a health-related degree at Ariel university. The intervention tool will be based on the constructive social learning model and will include a short lecture on obesity, scenarios simulating a meeting between health professionals and patients with obesity that will be presented by professional role-players and include varying degrees of weight bias, stigma and discrimination, and an open discourse with a patient with obesity. The tool's development will be carried out throughout recommended steps including a comprehensive literature review, preparation of a preliminary draft of the plan, evaluation of the planned intervention tool in terms of content validity, and a pilot testing of the tool among n=15 students from the target population. The control group will receive a short-written document on obesity. This study will utilize an embedded mixed-method approach. At baseline, one- and six- weeks post-intervention both groups will be asked to fill an anonymous online survey which will include demographics, weight and body perception, knowledge about obesity, the Anti-Fat Attitudes questionnaire, the Short-Form of Fat-Phobia scale, and the Weight-Implicit Association-Test. Moreover, in-depth interviews will be conducted among 15 participants from each group.

Study Type

  • Study Type: Interventional
  • Study Design
    • Allocation: Randomized
    • Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
    • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
    • Masking: None (Open Label)
  • Study Primary Completion Date: August 1, 2023

Interventions

  • Behavioral: An active training tool on weight bias and knowledge about obesity
    • The intervention will take place at the university simulation center and include three components. First, a short lecture on obesity and weight bias. Second, four scenarios that simulate meetings between health professionals and people with obesity which will be presented by professional role-players in sequence. Each scenario will include a different therapeutic situation and include varying degrees of weight bias, stigma, and discrimination to stimulate students to think and react. Third, an active open discourse with a person with obesity will be held.
  • Behavioral: A short-written document on obesity
    • A short-written document on obesity which will be based on current literature.

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • Active Comparator: An active training tool on weight bias and knowledge about obesity
    • The intervention will take place at the university simulation center and include three components. First, a short-lecture on obesity and weight bias. Second, four scenarios that simulate meetings between health professionals and people with obesity which will be presented by professional role-players in sequence. Each scenario will include a different therapeutic situation and include varying degrees of weight bias, stigma, and discrimination to stimulate students to think and react. Third, an active open discourse with a person with obesity will be held.
  • Placebo Comparator: A short-written document on obesity
    • A short-written document on obesity which will be based on current literature.

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • Anti-Fat Attitudes questionnaire (‘AFA’)
    • Time Frame: Change from baseline at six- 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.
  • The short-form of fat-phobia scale (‘ F-scale’)
    • Time Frame: Change from baseline at six- 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.
  • Weight Implicit Association Test (‘IAT’)
    • Time Frame: Change from baseline at six- 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.

Secondary Measures

  • Knowledge about obesity
    • Time Frame: Change from baseline at six- weeks post-intervention
    • Knowledge about obesity will be assessed by five questions that were written by the research team according to current literature.

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • undergraduate students pursuing a healthcare-related degree including nutrition science, health systems management, communication disorders, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and nursing at Ariel university – age ≥18 years – willingness to participate in the study.

Gender Eligibility: All

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Maximum Age: N/A

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • Ariel University
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Principal Investigator: Shiri Sherf Dagan, Principal investigator – Ariel University
  • Overall Official(s)
    • Shiri Sherf-Dagan, PhD, Principal Investigator, Ariel university and Assuta medical center

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