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

NCT ID: NCT06192537

Last Updated: 2024-09-05

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 34 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-03-01
• Study Completion Date: 2024-08-01

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Obesity; Bias, Weight

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Intervention

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

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

Intervention Type: 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.

Interventions

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

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.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Tel Hai College

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Ariel University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Shiri Sherf Dagan

Principal investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Ariel University

Ariel, , Israel

Countries

Israel

References

Tayar-Wachsberger I, Green G, Pinus M, Tepper S, Sherf-Dagan S. Examining the effect of an obesity suit role-playing exercise on empathy and weight bias in nutrition students. Nutrition. 2025 Oct;138:112813. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2025.112813. Epub 2025 Apr 19.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 40466592 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

AU-HEA-SS-20231016-2

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id