Testing Climate Impact Menu Labels Influence on Nutrition Quality of Fast-Food Selections: A Pilot Study
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 6,622
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Modified Nutrient Profile Index Score
研究概览
简要总结
The primary objective of this study is to test the relative effects of climate-impact menu label designs on the healthfulness of consumers' fast-food meal choices. Participants will complete a hypothetical online meal ordering task using a survey which emulates the online menu of a burger restaurant chain. Participants will be randomized for exposure to menus featuring one of five labeling conditions. Secondary objectives include examining total greenhouse gas emissions per meal order and, through a post-order survey, perception of labels between the conditions.
详细描述
This online randomized trial will test the relative effects of climate impact menu label designs on the healthfulness of consumers' fast-food meal choices and perceptions of menu items. The survey research firm CloudResearch will recruit a sample of 6,250 adults aged 18 years and older who speak English and reside in the United States.
Participants will complete a between-subjects online experiment in which the participants will be randomized to view a fast-food online ordering menu with one of five labeling schemes applied: (1) a QR code on all items (control); (2) a high climate impact warning label on high impact items; (3) traffic light labels on all items by level of impact; (4) climate grade labels on all items by level of impact; and (5) numeric carbon footprint labels on all items. All fast-food menus will include main items, sides, desserts, and drinks. Labels will only appear alongside main menu items and will be assigned using thresholds for greenhouse gas emissions set a priori in kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent per kilogram of food. Participants will be instructed to select up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. After completing the meal ordering task, participants will be prompted to answer questions about the perception of the labeling condition which the participants were randomized to view, perception of the relative effectiveness of all labels in this experiment, and personal values, dietary patterns, and other demographic information.
The primary outcome will be the healthfulness of meal orders selected from the online menu, indicated by a modified Nutrient Profile Index meal score for all food items ordered. Secondary outcomes will be total greenhouse gas emissions per meal ordered, total calories ordered, whether a sugar-sweetened beverage was ordered, and perceived message effectiveness of the climate-impact labels.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Prevention
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •18 years of age or older
- •Member of the CloudResearch panel
- •Residing in the United States
排除标准
- •Under 18 years of age
- •Not residing in the United States
- •Completed the survey implausibly quick based on the distribution of the time to complete the survey among all participants
- •Failed the built-in Qualtrics survey fraud detection measures
研究组 & 干预措施
Control (QR) Labels
A black label featuring a QR code and white text that reads "SCAN HERE" will be placed beneath all main menu items. Explanatory text describing the label's meaning will be displayed at the top of the menu.
干预措施: Control (QR) Labels (Behavioral)
Warning High Climate Impact Labels
A red icon-plus-text label that reads "WARNING: HIGH CLIMATE IMPACT" in white text will be placed beneath main menu items with a high climate impact using a predetermined threshold of estimated greenhouse gas emissions set at >=9.2 kgCO2e. Labels will include a white globe icon directly preceding the label text. Explanatory text describing the label's meaning will be displayed at the top of the menu.
干预措施: Warning High Climate Impact Labels (Behavioral)
Traffic Light Labels
Traffic Light labels will be placed beneath all main menu items. Using predetermined estimated greenhouse gas emission thresholds, each item will be assigned one of three icon-plus-text labels within this scheme: low-, medium-, or high-impact label, set in kgCO2e at <2.6, >=2.6 & <9.2, and >=9.2, respectively. Each will read, "HIGH CLIMATE IMPACT" within a red label, "MED. CLIMATE IMPACT" in a yellow label, and "LOW CLIMATE IMPACT" in a green label. Text for all labels written in white, and a white globe icon will precede the text. Explanatory text describing the meaning of the labels will be displayed at the top of the menu.
干预措施: Traffic Light Labels (Behavioral)
Climate Grade Labels
Climate Grade labels will be placed beneath all main menu items, using predetermined estimated greenhouse gas emission thresholds to assign one of five icon-plus-text labels which indicate a specific climate impact grade (A, B, C, D, and F). Thresholds are set in kgCO2e as follows: [A] <1.7, [B] >=1.7 & <2.6, [C] >=2.6 & <9.2, [D] >=9.2 & <28, [F] >=28. All labels are solid black with a white globe icon followed by white text which reads "CLIMATE GRADE". On the left side of each label, a grade is displayed, capitalized and in a white font within a solid-colored box. The color of the box corresponds with each letter grade: A = dark green, B = light green, C = yellow, D = orange, F = red. Beneath the letter grade, a gradient of all possible grades is displayed horizontally in smaller font, each grade atop a small solid box in the respective grade color. Explanatory text describing the meaning of the labels will be displayed at the top of the menu.
干预措施: Climate Grade Labels (Behavioral)
Numeric Carbon Footprint Labels
Numeric Carbon Footprint labels will be placed beneath all main menu items and display the estimated greenhouse gas emissions in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (kgCO2e) for each item. All labels have a solid black background and an icon-plus-text design. A white globe icon is followed by text stating the value of the items estimated emissions and the unit "kgCO2e". Explanatory text describing the meaning of the labels will be displayed at the top of the menu.
干预措施: Numeric Carbon Footprint Labels (Behavioral)
结局指标
主要结局
Modified Nutrient Profile Index Score
时间窗: approximately 1 minute
The primary outcome measure will be the healthfulness of the fast-food meal selections, measured with a modified Nutrient Profile Index (NPI) score. NPI scores are based on the United Kingdom (UK) Ofcom Nutrient Profiling Model, which is used to score individual foods in the UK to determine which ones can be marketed to children. The NPI is a 0 to 100-point score for foods; scores \>=64 are considered healthy. NPI awards points from nutrients to encourage (e.g., fiber, protein) and nutrients of concern (e.g., sodium, sugar) per 100 grams. The investigators will generate a modified NPI score to evaluate the healthfulness of full meals comprised of multiple food items. This measure will be determined by calculating the weighted mean NPI score of all food items selected per meal, with each item's NPI score weighted by its proportionate contribution of mass in grams to the total mass of the meal.
次要结局
- Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions as Assessed by Cumulative Total Kilograms of Carbon Equivalent (kgCO2e) Per Kilogram(approximately 1 minute)
- Perceived Message Effectiveness (PME) as Assessed by the University of North Carolina (UNC) PME Scale(approximately 1 minute)
- Total Energy (Calories) Selected(approximately 1 minute)
- Number of Participants Who Selected Sugar-sweetened Beverage(approximately 1 minute)