The Effect of an Education Module to Reduce Weight Bias Among Healthcare Professionals in a Private Hospital Setting

Although scientific bodies have recognized obesity as a disease, obese people are often stigmatized, facing discrimination, and accusations that they are responsible to their condition due to their lack of willpower by healthcare professionals. However, experimental research to reduce weight bias among healthcare professionals is lacking, and published studies to date are methodologically flawed, including lack of randomization, lack of control group and small sample size.

The study is designed to evaluate the effect of a comprehensive online education module on knowledge about obesity and weight bias in a convenience sample in a private hospital setting.

This is an interventional study conducted among all Assuta Medical Centers healthcare employees including physicians, bariatric surgeons, nurses, dietitians, social workers, physiotherapists, pharmacists, imaging department technicians, laboratory workers, patient services assistants and medical secretariats. Participants who will confirm their consent to participate in the study, will be randomized into two arms: intervention vs. control (with no intervention). The study intervention will include an online 15-minute educational module which will be based on relevant literature and expert opinion and will include four sections: a) Knowledge about obesity; b) Weight bias definition and impact; c) Strategies to reduce weight bias; d) A short quiz. At baseline, one week and one-month post intervention, both groups will respond to an anonymous on-line survey on knowledge about obesity and weight stigma. Moreover, data on demographic parameters of study participants will be collected.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obese, Stigma
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: An online 15-minute educational module

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 506
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Israel
  • Tel Aviv, Israel
    • Assuta Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• All Assuta Medical Centers healthcare employees will be recruited to the study

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; No intervention
Experimental: Intervention group -educational module; The study intervention will include an online 15-minute educational module with four sections: a) Knowledge about obesity; b) Weight bias definition and impact; c) Strategies to reduce weight bias; d) A short quiz. The module will be based on relevant literature and expert opinion. The module will be sent to participants via secured link.	Other: An online 15-minute educational module; An online 15-minute educational module with four sections: a) Knowledge about obesity; b) Weight bias definition and impact; c) Strategies to reduce weight bias; d) A short quiz. The module will be based on relevant literature and expert opinion

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weight stigma	Questionnaires on weight stigma	Change from Baseline at 1 month post intervantion

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Knowledge about obesity	Questionnaire on knowledge about obesity	Change from Baseline at 1 month post intervantion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Assuta Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Sherf-Dagan S, Kessler Y, Mardy-Tilbor L, Raziel A, Sakran N, Boaz M, Kaufman-Shriqui V. The Effect of an Education Module to Reduce Weight Bias among Medical Centers Employees: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Obes Facts. 2022;15(3):384-394. doi: 10.1159/000521856. Epub 2022 Jan 21.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 6, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 11, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): February 5, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 7, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2021
• Last Verified: June 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 0008-20-ASMC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No