Testing the Influence of Different Sugary Drink Warning Label Designs

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Diabetes Type 2; Obesity; Weight Gain
• Interventions: Behavioral: Sugary drink warning labels

• Registration Number: NCT03648138
• Lead Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to compare different sugary drink labels to see which most influence knowledge, beliefs, purchase intentions and choices. Parents of children ages 6-11 will shop in a virtual convenience store after being randomized to 1 of 4 conditions: 1) calorie labels; 2) text warning labels; 3) graphic sugar warning labels; or 4) graphic health warning. This study will provide data comparing the influence of sugary drink text warning labels and two kinds of graphic warning labels.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2018-08-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-08-24
• Study First Posted: 2018-08-27
• Study Start: 2020-01-17
• Primary Completion: 2020-01-28
• Study Completion: 2020-01-28
• Status Verified: 2020-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-03-10
• Last Update Posted: 2020-03-11

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1016

Inclusion Criteria

1. a primary caregiver of a child 6-to-11 years old;
2. ≥18 years old; and
3. can read and speak English

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Exclusion Criteria

1. not a primary caregiver of a child 6-to-11 years old;
2. <18 years old; and
3. cannot read and/or speak English

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Text warning label	Sugary drink warning labels	This arm will display similar text proposed in a recent sugary drink warning label bill in California. Sample text: WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay. The calorie label will also appear on all beverages.
Sugar graphic warning label	Sugary drink warning labels	This arm will graphically display the amount of sugar in each sugary beverage along with the same text used in the "text warning label" arm. The calorie label will also appear on all beverages.
Calorie label	Sugary drink warning labels	This arm will display a "Calories per Bottle" label on all beverages, not just sugary beverages. This label is identical to the American Beverage Association's current "Clear on Calories" labels (as of 2018).
Health graphic warning label	Sugary drink warning labels	This arm will graphically display potential negative health effects of over consuming sugary drinks for each sugary beverage, along with the same text used in the "text warning label" arm. The calorie label will also appear on all beverages.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Hypothetical beverage choice	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Participants will select a beverage to purchase in the virtual store. Our outcome will be the percentage of parents choosing a 20-ounce sugary drink for their child

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Parent feels good serving the beverages	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Item: "Serving this product to my child would make me feel like I am doing something good for my child." This will be measured on a 7-point likert scale.
Child enjoyment of beverages	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Item: "How much do you think your child would enjoy this product?" This will be answered on a 7-point likert scale.
Health beliefs and risk perceptions index	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	We will create this outcome by summing responses to the following 7 health perception questions 6 prompted with the statement "Drinking this product often would...". The statements end with the following health belief and risk perception language: "lead my child to gain weight," "increase my child's risk of heart disease," "increase my child's risk of diabetes," "make my child feel energized," "help my child focus at school", and "help my child live a healthy life." The other item is: "How healthy do you think this product is for your child?" Responses to questions about weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes will be reverse coded, so higher scores on the index will indicate a stronger positive health perception of the beverages. These will be scored on 7-point likert scales.
Estimate of how many teaspoons of added sugar are in the beverages	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	This variable will be measured continuously based on a text box provided to participants.
Perceived amount of added sugar in beverages	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	This variable will be measured on a 3-point Likert scale ranging from "too little for my child" to "too much for my child".
Noticing the label	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Participants will respond "yes," "no," or "I don't know" to the item: "When you selected a beverage to buy for your child at the beginning of this survey, did you notice any labels on the beverages other than calorie information?"
Encourage you to give fewer beverages to your child	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Item: "If you saw this government warning label on a beverage, would the label encourage you to serve your child that beverage less often?" The responses will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale.
Favor or oppose sugary drink warning label policy	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	We will compare the percentage of participants in favor of (combining somewhat favor and strongly favor), opposed to (combining somewhat oppose and strongly oppose), or neutral about the policy based on the following question: "Would you favor or oppose a government policy requiring a warning label to be placed on beverages with added sugars?" Ratings will be from -2 to 2.
Likely to serve or buy these beverages:	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Item: "How likely are you to serve or buy this product for your child in the next 4 weeks?" This will be answered on a 7-point Likert scale.
Perceived label influence	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Participants will respond: "yes", "no," or "I did not notice any labels" in response to the question of whether the label influenced their purchase.
How much do you trust the information on this label	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Item: "How much do you trust the information on this label?". Responses will be measured on a 7-point Likert scale.
Likelihood of label changing thoughts	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	Item: "If this government warning label were on a beverage, how much would it change your thoughts about the healthiness of that beverage for your child?" This will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale.
Negative reactions to the label	The survey will take up to 20 minutes	We will examine the average negative emotional response to the label (said the warning label made them feel worried, fearful, guilty, or disgusted or grossed out). Each emotion will be scored on a 5-pt likert scale.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Online study with GfK; 🇺🇸 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States