NCT07430891Completed
Exercise-Based Obesity Simulation and Weight Bias
Effects of Exercise-Based Obesity Simulation on Weight Bias and Clinical Decision-Making in Health Professions Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 27 Feb 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
This study examines whether an exercise-based simulation can reduce weight bias and improve professional skills among health professions students. Weight stigma in healthcare settings can negatively affect patient communication, clinical decision-making, and patient engagement in health-promoting behaviors. In this randomized controlled trial, undergraduate health professions students were assigned to one of three groups: (1) a control group completing a communication module and light stretching, (2) an exercise-only group completing treadmill walking, or (3) an exercise group completing treadmill walking while wearing an obesity simulation suit designed to represent additional body weight. The simulation aimed to provide students with an experiential understanding of movement challenges associated with higher body weight. Participants completed assessments at baseline, one week, and eight weeks after the intervention. Outcomes included measures of implicit and explicit weight bias, empathy, clinical decision-making using patient scenarios, professional behavioral intentions, and reflective learning. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a brief experiential intervention can reduce weight bias and improve competencies related to patient-centered and weight-inclusive care in health professions education.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 107 (actual)
- First submitted
- 18 Feb 2026
- Start date
- 1 Feb 2024
- Primary completion date
- 1 Feb 2026
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, River Falls
- Diseases
- Obesity
- NCT number
- NCT07430891
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Participants enrolled: 107
- From 1 Feb 2024 to the primary completion date, 1 Feb 2026
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- Current or past eating disorder (self-reported)
- Body dysmorphic disorder (self-reported)
- Any condition or injury that would make treadmill walking unsafe, as determined during screening
Lab values
- Contraindications to exercise or treadmill walking based on ACSM screening (e.g., symptoms suggestive of cardiovascular, metabolic, or renal disease without medical clearance)
Other
- Recent weight-related trauma within the past 12 months (self-reported)
Who the study is looking for
- Undergraduate student enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in a health professions-related program or major
- Age 18 years or older
- Able to safely participate in moderate-intensity treadmill walking
- Cleared to participate based on the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) preparticipation screening algorithm
- Willing and able to provide informed consent and complete study assessments at baseline, 1-week, and 8-week follow-up
Age in the registry: 18 years to 30 years · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin-River Falls Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | River Falls | United States | Unknown status |
Related publications
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.