Trial Outcomes & Findings for Weight Discrimination and Poor Cardiovascular Health (NCT NCT05714696)

Last Updated: 2025-05-15

Results Overview

A modified version of the Positive and Negative Affect Scale-Expanded Form (PANAS-X) will be used to assess emotions in response to the experimental manipulation. The scale demonstrates good validity and reliability. Emotions will be assessed with 46 adjectives (e.g., angry, confident) by indicating the extent to each emotion is felt at that moment (1=very slightly or not at all to 5=extremely). A composite score for negative affect will be created by taking the average of the relevant adjectives. Scores will range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more negative emotion.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

Target enrollment

333 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

2 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Results posted on

2025-05-15

Participant Flow

Participants were recruited from the local community between February 2023 and April 2024. The first participant was enrolled on February 5, 2023 and the last participant was enrolled on April 26, 2024.

Of 333 enrolled participants, 271 were randomized to experimental condition.

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Overall Study STARTED	136	135
Overall Study COMPLETED	136	135
Overall Study NOT COMPLETED	0	0

Reasons for withdrawal

Withdrawal data not reported

Baseline Characteristics

Weight Discrimination and Poor Cardiovascular Health

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=136 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=135 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Total n=271 Participants Total of all reporting groups
Age, Continuous	37.99 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 13.41 • n=5 Participants	38.70 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 13.28 • n=7 Participants	38.34 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 13.33 • n=5 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized Female	109 Participants n=5 Participants	108 Participants n=7 Participants	217 Participants n=5 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized Male	26 Participants n=5 Participants	26 Participants n=7 Participants	52 Participants n=5 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized Prefer not to answer	0 Participants n=5 Participants	1 Participants n=7 Participants	1 Participants n=5 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized Unknown	1 Participants n=5 Participants	0 Participants n=7 Participants	1 Participants n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino	16 Participants n=5 Participants	16 Participants n=7 Participants	32 Participants n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino	120 Participants n=5 Participants	119 Participants n=7 Participants	239 Participants n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported	0 Participants n=5 Participants	0 Participants n=7 Participants	0 Participants n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native	1 Participants n=5 Participants	1 Participants n=7 Participants	2 Participants n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) Asian	6 Participants n=5 Participants	2 Participants n=7 Participants	8 Participants n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	1 Participants n=5 Participants	0 Participants n=7 Participants	1 Participants n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American	43 Participants n=5 Participants	41 Participants n=7 Participants	84 Participants n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) White	77 Participants n=5 Participants	85 Participants n=7 Participants	162 Participants n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race	5 Participants n=5 Participants	5 Participants n=7 Participants	10 Participants n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported	3 Participants n=5 Participants	1 Participants n=7 Participants	4 Participants n=5 Participants
Region of Enrollment United States	136 participants n=5 Participants	135 participants n=7 Participants	271 participants n=5 Participants
Body mass index	37.99 kg/m2 STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.99 • n=5 Participants	37.22 kg/m2 STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.73 • n=7 Participants	37.61 kg/m2 STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.39 • n=5 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 2 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=136 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=135 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Negative Affect	1.43 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.49	1.29 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.33

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 2 minutes after delivery of the intervention

A modified version of the Positive and Negative Affect Scale-Expanded Form (PANAS-X) will be used to assess emotions in response to the experimental manipulation. The scale demonstrates good validity and reliability. Emotions will be assessed with 46 adjectives (e.g., angry, confident) by indicating the extent to each emotion is felt at that moment (1=very slightly or not at all to 5=extremely). A composite score for positive affect will be created by taking the average of the relevant adjectives. Scores will range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more positive emotion.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=136 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=135 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Positive Affect	2.83 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.94	3.04 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.82

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 6 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Self-efficacy (perceived confidence) in one's ability to engage in weight control behaviors (e.g., dietary restraint, physical activity) over the next six months will be assessed. Self-efficacy for dietary restraint will be assessed with the short form of the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire (e.g., I can resist eating … when I am depressed or down; 8 items). Self-efficacy for physical activity will be assessed with the Exercise Self-efficacy Scale (e.g., I am confident I can participate in regular exercise when … I am tired; 5 items). Weight control items will be interspersed with items assessing self-efficacy for other health behaviors (e.g., flu vaccination, sleep). Each item will be rated on an 8-point scale (0=not at all confident to 7=very confident). Items will be averaged to create a composite score. Scores will range from 0 to 7, with higher scores indicating higher self-efficacy for weight control behavior.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=136 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=135 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Self-efficacy for Weight Control Behavior	4.29 score on a scale Standard Deviation 1.42	3.91 score on a scale Standard Deviation 1.42

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 10 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Using the same health behaviors assessed for self-efficacy, intentions for weight control behavior will be assessed (i.e., intentions to engage in each behavior over the next six months). Each item will be rated on an 8-point scale (0=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree). Items will be averaged to create a composite score. Scores will range from 0 to 7, with higher scores indicating higher intentions to engage in weight control behavior.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=136 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=135 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Intentions for Weight Control Behavior	4.91 score on a scale Standard Deviation 1.30	4.70 score on a scale Standard Deviation 1.28

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 15 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Population: There are some missing data on this variable due to experimenter error.

The Stroop task provides a measure of executive control by assessing the ability to inhibit an automatic response (reading) in favor of performing a more controlled task (color naming). The task is a classic, widely used and well-validated measure of executive control. Eight blocks of 20 trials will be performed that will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. Executive control scores will be calculated for response accuracy and speed. Metric: accuracy (percentage of correct answers on mismatched trials). A lower percentage of correct answers on mismatched trials indicates worse executive control.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=132 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=131 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Executive control_accuracy	96 percentage of correct responses Standard Deviation 5.0	96 percentage of correct responses Standard Deviation 4.7

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 15 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Population: There are some missing data on this variable due to experimenter error.

The Stroop task provides a measure of executive control by assessing the ability to inhibit an automatic response (reading) in favor of performing a more controlled task (color naming). The task is a classic, widely used and well-validated measure of executive control. Eight blocks of 20 trials will be performed that will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. Executive control scores will be calculated for accuracy and speed (reaction time). Metric: reaction time (average reaction time in milliseconds on mismatched trials). Longer reaction times on mismatched trials indicate worse executive control.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=129 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=133 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Executive control_speed	1191 milliseconds Standard Deviation 429	1362 milliseconds Standard Deviation 492

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 20 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Population: There are some missing data on this variable due to experimenter error.

Delay discounting involves the subjective depreciation of an incentive based on its timing. The measure assesses the ability to delay gratification, that is, a tendency to prioritize larger long-term rewards over smaller short-term rewards. The task involves choosing short vs. long-term rewards from a set of five dichotomous choices (e.g., to receive $1 immediately or $10 in one month). The task takes about 1 minute to administer, is highly reliable, and correlates well with longer and more extensive measures of delay discounting (metric: discount rate (k)). Scores will range from 0.000110 to 24, with higher scores indicating more impulsivity/lower ability to delay gratification.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=133 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=133 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Delay Discounting	0.86 score on a scale Standard Deviation 3.87	1.20 score on a scale Standard Deviation 4.78

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 25 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Population: There are some missing data on this variable due to poor quality saliva samples (too watery).

The investigators will measure cortisol secretion via saliva (passive drool) 25 minutes after delivery of the intervention (first follow-up) and compare it to baseline cortisol levels.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=135 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=131 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Change in Cortisol From Baseline to First Follow-up Assessment	.0000 ug/dL Standard Deviation .0000	.0076 ug/dL Standard Deviation .0874

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 30 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Population: There are some missing data on this variable due to participant eating restrictions or allergies that prevented them completing the taste test as designed.

Comfort eating will be assessed via an eating task to objectively measure hyper-palatable (high-fat, -sodium, -sugar, and -carbohydrate) food intake. To avoid floor effects, the eating task will take place under the guise of a faux taste test, which will ostensibly guide the development of the food marketing campaign later during the study. To avoid ceiling effects and to allow eating behavior without fear that the experimenter will negatively judge the amount eaten, large quantities of each food will be made available. The task will take 10 minutes to complete and will be conducted in a private room. Bowls will be weighed (unobtrusively) before and after the task to compute the difference in grams, which will then be converted to kilocalories based on published nutrition information from the food maker. Higher kilocalorie consumption indicates a tendency to engage in more comfort eating during times of stress.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=130 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=127 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Comfort Eating	299.42 kcals Standard Deviation 194.72	365.73 kcals Standard Deviation 173.83

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 45 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Population: One participant is missing data due to experimenter error.

Social withdrawal will be assessed with a measure from previous research. The experimenter will present three options for working on the final task: alone, with a former group member, or with a new partner. Choosing to work alone reflects a desire to avoid social interaction. Each response will be assigned a numerical code (work alone = 0; work with a former group member = 1; work with a new partner = 2). Scores of zero indicate a greater tendency to withdraw socially during times of stress.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=136 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=134 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Social Withdrawal Work by self	72 Participants	55 Participants
Social Withdrawal Work with former group member	28 Participants	52 Participants
Social Withdrawal Work with new group member	36 Participants	27 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 60 minutes after delivery of the intervention

Population: There are some missing data on this variable due to poor quality saliva samples (too watery). Of note, we were not able to run the statistical analysis on this variable due to the lack of variability in both groups.

The investigators will measure cortisol secretion via saliva (passive drool) 60 minutes after delivery of the intervention (second follow-up) and compare it to baseline cortisol levels.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Weight Discrimination Experience n=135 Participants Participants in the experimental condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are biased against overweight people (i.e., they have negative attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive feedback about their personal attributes that is consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes (e.g., lacking self-discipline), and 3. Not be selected as a partner for the remaining lab tasks (i.e., this experience may prompt feelings of social exclusion). Weight discrimination experience: In the experimental condition, participants will learn that their group members are biased against overweight people but not elderly or racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive negative feedback about their personal attributes by being labeled with negative weight-based stereotypes. Although some ratings will be positive (e.g., they will receive high ratings on being friendly and kind), participants will be rated poorly on attributes viewed as necessary to develop a strong marketing campaign (i.e., motivation to work hard, possessing self-discipline to persist at the task, and competence). After (ostensibly) assembling the group's preferences, the experimenter will inform participants that no one selected them to be their partner, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation has been shown to prompt feelings of social exclusion.	Control Experience n=131 Participants Participants in the control condition will: 1. Learn that their group mates are very accepting of overweight people (i.e., they have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight), 2. Receive positive feedback about their personal attributes that is not consistent with negative weight-based stereotypes, and 3. Will be told that one of their group members had to leave early for an emergency so the pairs cannot be assembled as usual (i.e., this experience should not prompt feelings of social exclusion). Control experience: In the control condition, participants will learn that their group members have positive attitudes toward people with higher body weight, as well as elderly and racial/ethnic minority individuals, as indicated by the "getting to know you" summary ratings handout. Participants will also receive positive feedback about their personal attributes, as indicated by the summary ratings averaged across the three members. Finally, participants in the control condition will be told that one of their group members had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency, so pairs cannot be assembled as usual, thus they will perform the next few tasks alone. This manipulation should not prompt feelings of social exclusion.
Change in Cortisol From Baseline to Second Follow-up Assessment	.0000 ug/dL Standard Deviation .0000	.0000 ug/dL Standard Deviation .0000

Adverse Events

Weight Discrimination Experience

Serious events: 0 serious events

Other events: 0 other events

Deaths: 0 deaths

Control Experience

Serious events: 0 serious events

Other events: 0 other events

Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

Dr. Mary Gerend

Florida State University College of Medicine

Phone: 8506451541

Email: [email protected]

Results disclosure agreements

Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
Publication restrictions are in place