Weight Stigma by Association in Parent-Child Dyads

NCT04829162 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Parent Stigma
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,973
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Parents of children with obesity report feeling blamed for their children's weight and reluctant to seek pediatric care after stigmatizing experiences. This "weight stigma by association" may have direct consequences for parents, children, and the parent-child relationship. The present study builds on qualitative evidence to experimentally test weight stigma and weight stigma by association in a parent-child relationship using a large, community-based sample. In an experiment conducted via an online survey, participants were randomly assigned to view a picture of a parent-child dyad, for which parent and child's gender (male vs. female) and weight status (with obesity vs. without obesity) were manipulated. Participants read identical general parenting descriptions that adhered to American Academy of Pediatrics parenting recommendations, then rated the parent's effectiveness, helpfulness, and caring.

Conditions

Childhood Obesity; Obesity

Keywords

childhood obesity; weight stigma by association; parenting

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Parenting evaluation

  Participants responded to the prompt, "To what extent do you perceive the parenting approach to be effective/helpful/caring?" and rated the characteristic on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Not at all, 5 = Very).

  1 day

Study Arms (16)

Mother with obesity, daughter with obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a mother with obesity and a daughter with obesity.

Other: Mother with obesity, daughter with obesity

Mother with obesity, daughter without obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a mother with obesity and a daughter without obesity.

Other: Mother with obesity, daughter without obesity

Mother without obesity, daughter with obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a mother without obesity and a daughter with obesity.

Other: Mother without obesity, daughter with obesity

Mother without obesity, daughter without obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a mother without obesity and a daughter without obesity.

Other: Mother without obesity, daughter without obesity

Mother with obesity, son with obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a mother with obesity and a son with obesity.

Other: Mother with obesity, son with obesity

Mother with obesity, son without obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a mother with obesity and a son without obesity.

Other: Mother with obesity, son without obesity

Mother without obesity, son with obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a mother without obesity and a son with obesity.

Other: Mother without obesity, son with obesity

Mother without obesity, son without obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a mother without obesity and a son without obesity.

Other: Mother without obesity, son without obesity

Father with obesity, daughter with obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a father with obesity and a daughter with obesity.

Other: Father with obesity, daughter with obesity

Father with obesity, daughter without obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a father with obesity and a daughter without obesity.

Other: Father with obesity, daughter without obesity

Father without obesity, daughter with obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a father without obesity and a daughter with obesity.

Other: Father without obesity, daughter with obesity

Father without obesity, daughter without obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a father without obesity and a daughter without obesity.

Other: Father without obesity, daughter without obesity

Father with obesity, son with obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a father with obesity and a son with obesity.

Other: Father with obesity, son with obesity

Father with obesity, son without obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a father with obesity and a son without obesity.

Other: Father with obesity, son without obesity

Father without obesity, son with obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a father without obesity and a son with obesity.

Other: Father without obesity, son with obesity

Father without obesity, son without obesity

EXPERIMENTAL

Image of a father without obesity and a son without obesity.

Other: Father without obesity, son without obesity

Interventions

Mother with obesity, daughter with obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a mother with obesity and a daughter with obesity.

Mother with obesity, daughter with obesity

Mother with obesity, daughter without obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a mother with obesity and a daughter without obesity.

Mother with obesity, daughter without obesity

Mother without obesity, daughter with obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a mother without obesity and a daughter with obesity.

Mother without obesity, daughter with obesity

Mother without obesity, daughter without obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a mother without obesity and a daughter without obesity.

Mother without obesity, daughter without obesity

Mother with obesity, son with obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a mother with obesity and a son with obesity.

Mother with obesity, son with obesity

Mother with obesity, son without obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a mother with obesity and a son without obesity.

Mother with obesity, son without obesity

Mother without obesity, son with obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a mother without obesity and a son with obesity.

Mother without obesity, son with obesity

Mother without obesity, son without obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a mother without obesity and a son without obesity.

Mother without obesity, son without obesity

Father with obesity, daughter with obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a father with obesity and a daughter with obesity.

Father with obesity, daughter with obesity

Father with obesity, daughter without obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a father with obesity and a daughter without obesity.

Father with obesity, daughter without obesity

Father without obesity, daughter with obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a father without obesity and a daughter with obesity.

Father without obesity, daughter with obesity

Father without obesity, daughter without obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a father without obesity and a daughter without obesity.

Father without obesity, daughter without obesity

Father with obesity, son with obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a father with obesity and a son with obesity.

Father with obesity, son with obesity

Father with obesity, son without obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a father with obesity and a son without obesity.

Father with obesity, son without obesity

Father without obesity, son with obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a father without obesity and a son with obesity.

Father without obesity, son with obesity

Father without obesity, son without obesity OTHER

Participants in this group were shown an image of a father without obesity and a son without obesity.

Father without obesity, son without obesity

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• at least 18 years of age

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Los Angeles: lead
• University of Michigan: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

UCLA

Los Angeles, California, 90095-1563, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity; Obesity

Interventions

Adiposity; Nuclear Family

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Body Fat Distribution; Body Weights and Measures; Body Constitution; Physical Examination; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Body Composition; Biochemical Phenomena; Chemical Phenomena; Metabolism; Physiological Phenomena; Family Structure; Family Characteristics; Demography; Population Characteristics; Socioeconomic Factors; Epidemiologic Measurements; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: Investigator was blind to condition throughout data accrual.
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: We conducted a 2 (parent with versus without obesity) x 2 (child with versus without obesity) x 2 (daughter versus son) x 2 (mother versus father) between-subjects experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 16 conditions. However, only five a priori hypotheses were tested.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 29, 2021
• First Posted: April 2, 2021
• Study Start: February 21, 2020
• Primary Completion: February 21, 2020
• Study Completion: February 21, 2020
• Last Updated: April 2, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)