Testing Product Messages in Colombia

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Obesity
• Interventions: Other: Control; Behavioral: Nutriscore Label; Behavioral: Adapted Peruvian Nutrient Label; Behavioral: Guideline Daily Amount Label

• Registration Number: NCT05783726
• Lead Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Brief Summary

Purpose: To better understand the impact of different front-of-package labels (FOPLs) on consumer purchasing intentions and ability to identify unhealthy foods.

Participants: \~8,000 Colombians, recruited from Offerwise, that are 18 years or older.

Procedures (methods): Participants will be randomly assigned to view images of food and drink products with either a nutrient warning label, Guideline Daily Amount label, Nutriscore label, or no-label control. They will be asked a series of questions about the products and the labels (excluding control group) on them. Questions will also include standard demographic and health related variables.

Detailed Description

Participants will be recruited from Offerwise (an online panel research company). Following online consent, participants will be randomly assigned to view different labels (explained below) on food and drink packaging. Participants will answer self-reported responses to the content (e.g., elaboration, beliefs, perceived healthfulness). After being randomized to one of the four groups and answering questions (e.g. which product is healthier, which product would you buy), the participant will see all three labels and select which is most dissuading from consuming a product high in a nutrient. At the end, the participant will answer demographic questions.

Participants will be randomized to see either a no-label control or 1 of 3 nutrient labels. The participants will see 5 types of products with the labels (fruit drinks, yogurt, sliced bread, cookies, and breakfast cereal).

Nutrient labels:

1. Guideline Daily Amount label

2. Nutriscore label

3. Adapted Peruvian nutrient warning label (high in sugar, high in saturated fat, high in salt/sodium)

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2023-03-13
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-03-13
• Study First Posted: 2023-03-24
• Status Verified: 2023-05
• Study Start: 2023-05-12
• Primary Completion: 2023-06-22
• Study Completion: 2023-06-22
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-06-26
• Last Update Posted: 2023-06-27

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 8086

Inclusion Criteria

• 18-64 years old
• Resident of Colombia
• Offerwise panel member (recruitment platform)

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Exclusion Criteria

• <18 years old or >64 years old
• Not a resident of Colombia

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Control	Control	The control arm will show the products with no label.
Experimental: Nutriscore Label	Nutriscore Label	The Nutriscore label applies a letter grade (A, B, C, D or E) to a product based on certain nutrient criteria.
Experimental: Adapted Peruvian Nutrient Label	Adapted Peruvian Nutrient Label	The adapted label is a black octagon with the words in Spanish saying "Excess of sugar,"Excess of saturated fat," or "Excess of salt/sodium" depending on the nutrition contents of the product. Below the octagon is a box with words in Spanish saying "Avoid high consumption"
Experimental: Guideline Daily Amount Label	Guideline Daily Amount Label	The Guideline Daily Amount label highlights the nutrient contents of the product by serving. It lists the calories, total fat, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium, as well are their % of the daily value.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Selection of Product Higher in Sugar	During ~15 minute online survey	Percentage of participants who select the less healthy product in a set of two products as the product the consumer most wants to buy.
Correct Identification of the Product Higher in Sugar	During ~15 minute online survey	Percentage of participants who correctly select the product higher in sugar (between two products)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Perceived Message Effectiveness	During ~15 minute online survey	Perceived message effectiveness of the study labels. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale, with lower scores representing a higher amount of the construct.; Perceived message effectiveness is measured using 3 items adapted from Baig et al. (2018): concern, unpleasantness, and discouragement. Responses to the 3 items will be averaged to create a perceived message effectiveness score.; Question: How much does this message...; make you concerned about the health effect of consuming an unhealthy product? discourage you from wanting to eat an unhealthy product? make eating an unhealthy product seem unpleasant to you? Only asked of the label arms, not control.
Purchase Likelihood	During ~15 minute online survey	Likelihood that participants would purchase this product in the next week if it were available. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale, with lower scores representing a higher amount of the construct
Ability to Identify Product as Having Excess of Sugar/Saturated Fat/Sodium	During ~15 minute online survey	Percentage of participants who correctly identify that the product contains excess sugar, saturated fat, or sodium.
Most Discouraging Label	During ~15 minute online survey	Percentage of participants selecting each nutrient label as most discouraging them from consuming the product.
Identify Less Healthy Product	During ~15 minute online survey	Percentage of participants that correctly identify the less healthy product when selecting between two products.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

UNC Carolina Population Center; 🇺🇸 Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States