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Feeding BehaviorsNCT02745405

Implications of Wearing a Fat Suit

A study testing Fat Suit in people with Feeding Behaviors, run by A. Janet Tomiyama.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

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. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Feeding Behaviors
What is being tested?
Fat Suit
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
109 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Apr 2014to Dec 2014
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

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

Who cannot join

  • No specific exclusion criteria.

About this study

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

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.

Read the detailed description

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.

Being tested
Fat Suit, Control Condition
Keywords
Weight Stigma, Cortisol Reactivity, Eating Behavior
Medical subject headings
Feeding Behavior, Weight Prejudice

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Fat SuitOther

    Participants wear a fat suit.

  • Control ConditionOther

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

Study groups in NCT02745405
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Fat Suit ConditionExperimentalParticipants are randomly assigned to wear a fat suit and then walk across campus.
Receives: Other: Fat Suit
Control ConditionOtherParticipants are randomly assigned to wear the same clothing that is on the fat suit but in their own size and then walk across campus.
Receives: Other: Control Condition

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Eating behavior measured via grams of food consumed

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

    Measured: ~10-minutes post-manipulation

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Cortisol reactivity

    Measured: ~20 minutes post-manipulation

  2. Antifat Attitudes measured via electronic questionnaire

    Measured: ~30 minutes after post-manipulation

  3. Psychological Well-Being measured via electronic questionnaires

    Measured: ~15 minutes post-manipulation

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 Apr 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2014
  3. Primary completionDec 2014
  4. Study completionDec 2014

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
109 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02745405
Sponsor's protocol ID
13-001873
Status last verified
Apr 2016
First submitted
11 Apr 2016
Last updated
20 Apr 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided: Interested individuals should contact the PI, who will consult with the UCLA IRB regarding the request.

Publications

  • Crandall CS. Prejudice against fat people: ideology and self-interest. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1994 May;66(5):882-94. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.66.5.882.

    PubMed 8014833
  • Baker F, Denniston M, Zabora J, Polland A, Dudley WN. A POMS short form for cancer patients: psychometric and structural evaluation. Psychooncology. 2002 Jul-Aug;11(4):273-81. doi: 10.1002/pon.564.

    PubMed 12203741
  • Zadro L, Williams KD, Richardson R. How low can you go? Ostracism by a computer is sufficient to lower self-reported levels of belonging, control, self-esteem, and meaningful existence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40(4): 560-567, 2004.

  • Incollingo Rodriguez AC, Heldreth CM, Tomiyama AJ. Putting on weight stigma: A randomized study of the effects of wearing a fat suit on eating, well-being, and cortisol. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016 Sep;24(9):1892-8. doi: 10.1002/oby.21575. Epub 2016 Jul 28.

    PubMed 27465666

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Fat Suit in people with Feeding Behaviors, run by A. Janet Tomiyama.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Apr 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Eating behavior measured via grams of food consumed (time frame: ~10-minutes post-manipulation). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02745405, which also lists 4 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 20 Apr 2016.

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