Reshaping Food Choice at University of Michigan

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Climate Change; Food Preferences
• Interventions: Other: Taste-focused labels; Other: Carbon impact labels; Other: Changing default menu options

• Registration Number: NCT05131529
• Lead Sponsor: University of Michigan

Brief Summary

Nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions originate from agriculture. Consumer demand for food, especially carbon-intensive red meats, largely underlies these emissions. Therefore, reducing consumption of red meat has the potential for transformative impacts on climate change. Our interdisciplinary team of researchers and dining staff aims to determine the carbon impact of evidence-based behavior change interventions to reduce red meat consumption at University of Michigan dining halls. Using an experimental design, we will evaluate the impacts of three "nudge" interventions (i.e., modifying environmental cues and incentives) to reduce red meat consumption in three randomly assigned treatment dining halls vis-à-vis three paired control dining halls. Nudges will include changing default food items and altering food labels. We will: 1) collect data on meals served during each intervention periods to assess the separate and combined effects of the interventions on red meat consumption; 2) conduct e-mail interviews with students to understand treatment effect heterogeneity and sociodemographic determinants of food choice; and, 3) conduct focus group discussions and interviews, respectively, with students and dining staff to assess implementation feasibility. We expect that this research will generate scalable, replicable solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through dietary change at universities and similar institutions, will significantly advance the food choice literature, and will influence sustainability strategies at university dining operations nationally given the proposed team's close partnership with regional and national dining programs.

Detailed Description

Not available

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2021-08-30
• Study First Submitted: 2021-11-01
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-11-11
• Study First Posted: 2021-11-23
• Primary Completion: 2022-12-18
• Study Completion: 2022-12-18
• Status Verified: 2023-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-01-11
• Last Update Posted: 2023-01-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 3003

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

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Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SEQUENTIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Treatment	Carbon impact labels	The 3 dining halls allocated to this arm will receive one intervention during each of the 3 semesters of the project (only one intervention per semester).
Treatment	Changing default menu options	The 3 dining halls allocated to this arm will receive one intervention during each of the 3 semesters of the project (only one intervention per semester).
Treatment	Taste-focused labels	The 3 dining halls allocated to this arm will receive one intervention during each of the 3 semesters of the project (only one intervention per semester).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The difference in the change in the average amount of red meat purchased by dining halls in treatment vs. control dining halls from the pre-intervention to intervention period	11 week intervention period (during each of 3 academic semesters)	We will assess the average amount of red meat purchased by each of the 6 project dining halls during the pre-intervention period and during the intervention period.; We will do a difference-in-difference analysis to identify whether the change in the amount of red meat purchased at treatment vs. control dining halls differed during these time periods.
The difference in the change in the average amount of red meat served in treatment vs. control dining halls from the pre-intervention to intervention period based on service data from dining hall operations staff	11 week intervention period (during each of 3 academic semesters)	We will assess the amount of red meat served across project dining halls from the the pre-intervention to the intervention period using "post-cost" data collected by operations staff (i.e., the amount of each dish prepared prior to the start of a meal period as well as the amount of each dish remaining at the end of the meal period with units of measure standardized to kg. We will assess the average weight of red meat served in each dining hall during the pre-intervention baseline period compared to the average weight of red meat served in each dining hall during the intervention period. We will do a difference-in-difference analysis to identify whether the change in the amount of red meat served at treatment vs. control dining halls differed during this time period. Difference-in-difference analyses examine the difference in the change in an outcome between a treatment and control group.
The difference in the change in the average amount of red meat consumed in treatment vs. control dining halls from the pre-intervention to intervention period based on 30-day food frequency questionnaire intake	11 week intervention period (during each of 3 academic semesters)	We will assess the amount of red meat consumed by a subsample of dining hall patrons (n = 1,000) at each of the 6 project dining halls from the start to the end of each intervention period. This will be done through a self-administered food frequency questionnaire that asks respondents to report their frequency of consumption of red meat items in the previous 30 days.; We will do a difference-in-difference analysis to identify whether the change in the amount of red meat consumed by respondents who frequently patron treatment vs. control dining halls differed during this time period.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The change in the average amount of red meat served at meal stations in treatment vs. control dining halls from the pre-intervention to intervention period based on service data from dining hall operations staff	15 weeks (4 week baseline period + 11 week intervention period (during each of 3 academic semesters)	We will assess the average amount of red meat served in each of the 6 project dining halls during the pre-intervention and the intervention periods. We will assess the difference in this amount of red meat served within a single dining hall to assess if and how this amount changed. Data on red meat served in each dining hall will begin 4 weeks before the start of each intervention period, thereby allowing us to compare the amount of red meat served before interventions begin to red meat served thereafter.; We will assess the average weight of red meat served in each dining hall during the pre-intervention baseline period compared to the average weight of red meat served in each dining hall during the intervention period.
The change in the average amount of red meat purchased by dining halls in treatment vs. control dining halls from the pre-intervention to intervention period	15 weeks (4 week baseline period + 11 week intervention period (during each of 3 academic semesters)	We will assess the amount of red meat purchased in each of the 6 project dining halls during the pre-intervention and the intervention periods. We will assess the difference in this amount of red meat purchased within a single dining hall to assess if and how this amount changed. Data on red meat purchased in each dining hall will begin 4 weeks before the start of each intervention period, thereby allowing us to compare the amount of red meat purchased before interventions begin to red meat purchased thereafter.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Michigan; 🇺🇸 Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States