Increasing Availability of Lower Energy Meals vs. Menu Energy Labelling on Food Choice

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Obesity; Diet, Healthy; Nutrition Poor; Food Selection
• Interventions: Other: Menu configuration (presence of energy labelling); Other: Menu configuration (more lower energy options added)

• Registration Number: NCT04336540
• Lead Sponsor: University of Liverpool

Brief Summary

Two randomized control trials examining human food choice (i.e. selection of high energy 'unhealthy' foods vs. selection of healthier foods). Interventions: In a between-subjects design, participants (recruitment stratified by socioeconomic position) made food choices (main dish, plus optional sides and desserts) in the absence vs. presence of menu energy labelling and from menus with baseline (10%) vs. increased availability (50%) of lower energy main dishes. Main outcome measures: Average energy content (kcal) of main dish chosen and average total energy content of all food ordered, including optional sides and desserts.

Detailed Description

See attached protocol documents.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2019-08-01
• Primary Completion: 2019-11-30
• Study Completion: 2019-11-30
• Status Verified: 2020-04
• Study First Submitted: 2020-04-02
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-04-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-04-06
• Study First Posted: 2020-04-07
• Last Update Posted: 2020-04-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 2091

Inclusion Criteria

• Participants were eligible to participate if they were US residents, aged of 18 or above, fluent in English, had access to a computer with an internet connection and had no dietary restrictions

Exclusion Criteria

• See above.

Stratification Criteria:

• We aimed to recruit a sample stratified by gender (approx. 50/50) and highest educational qualification (approx. 40% high school or less, 60% above high school) to be broadly representative of US adults.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Increased availability of lower energy meals	Menu configuration (presence of energy labelling)	Higher proportion of meals are 600kcals or less
Energy labelling	Menu configuration (presence of energy labelling)	Energy labelling provided on restaurant menus
Increased availability of lower energy meals	Menu configuration (more lower energy options added)	Higher proportion of meals are 600kcals or less

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Energy ordered from main menu	15-20 minutes (the time frame denotes time taken to make the menu order and there is no follow up	Total kcal content of main menu order

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Total energy ordered	15-20 minutes (the time frame denotes time taken to make the menu order and there is no follow up	Total kcal content of all food ordered (including sides, desserts)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Liverpool; 🇬🇧 Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom