scholarly journals A randomized-controlled trial of food choices made by edentulous adults

BDJ ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 204 (12) ◽  
pp. 663-663
Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne N Thorndike ◽  
Jessica L McCurley ◽  
Emily D Gelsomin ◽  
Eric B Rimm ◽  
Yuchiao Chang ◽  
...  

Importance: Workplace health promotion programs often have limited reach and effectiveness because they are time-intensive and not integrated with the work environment. Objective: Conduct a randomized controlled trial testing an automated intervention combined with workplace cafeteria traffic-light labels to prevent weight gain and increase healthy food choices. Methods: 602 hospital employees who regularly used 6 on-site cafeterias and paid with their ID were randomized in 2016-18. Cafeteria labels identified healthy (green), less healthy (yellow), and unhealthy (red) items. Participants completed visits, surveys, and dietary recalls at baseline and 12 months (end of intervention). The intervention group received personalized emails (2/week) and letters (1/month) that were automatically generated by a software platform that integrated cafeteria sales, health, and survey data. Emails included a log of weekly purchases (item, traffic light label, and calories) and health tips. Letters included social norm comparisons and small incentives for healthy purchases. The control group received standard lifestyle advice in monthly letters. A Healthy Purchasing Score was calculated by weighting purchased items by traffic light labels (red=0; yellow=0.5; green=1) using 12 mo of purchases during both baseline (pre-intervention) and intervention. Differences in differences in health outcomes, purchases, and dietary quality were compared, with missing values imputed. Results: Participants were 43.6 years (mean), 79% female, and 81% white. The intervention group increased healthy purchases compared to control, but changes in BMI and health outcomes were not different (see Table). Conclusion: An automated intervention linked to the workplace food environment increased healthy food choices but did not prevent weight gain. To improve health, this scalable healthy eating intervention could be augmented with additional technology to improve other health behaviors, such as physical activity, both at work and home.


Author(s):  
Laura Jansen ◽  
Ellen van Kleef ◽  
Ellen J. Van Loo

Abstract Background Online grocery stores offer opportunities to encourage healthier food choices at the moment that consumers place a product of their choice in their basket. This study assessed the effect of a swap offer, Nutri-Score labeling, and a descriptive norm message on the nutrient profiling (NP) score of food choices in an online food basket. Additionally explored was whether these interventions made it more motivating and easier for consumers to select healthier foods and whether potential effects were moderated by consumer health interest. Methods Hypotheses were tested with a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in a simulated online supermarket. Dutch participants (n = 550) chose their preferred product out of six product options for four different categories (breakfast cereals, crackers, pizza, and muesli bars). Participants were randomly allocated to one of eight groups based on the interventions in a 2 (Nutri-Score: present, not present) X 2 (swap offer: present, not present) X 2 (norm message: present, not present) between subject design. The primary outcome was the difference in combined NP score of product choices, for which a lower score represented a healthier product. Results Swap offer (B = − 9.58, 95% CI: [− 12.026; − 7.132], Ƞ2 = 0.098) and Nutri-Score labeling (B = − 3.28, 95% CI: [− 5.724; −.829], Ƞ2 = 0.013) significantly improved the combined NP score compared to the control condition (NP score M = 18.03, SD = 14.02), whereas a norm message did not have a significant effect (B = − 1.378, 95% CI [− 3.825; 1.070], Ƞ2 = 0.002). No evidence was found that interventions made it more motivating or easier for consumers to select healthier food, but situational motivation significantly influenced the healthiness score of food choices for both swap offer (b = − 3.40, p < .001) and Nutri-Score (b = − 3.25, p < .001). Consumer health interest only significantly moderated the influence of Nutri-Score on ease of identifying the healthy food option (b = .23, p = .04). Conclusions Swap offer and Nutri-Score labeling were effective in enhancing healthy purchase behavior in the online store environment. Trial registration This study was retrospectively registered in the ISRCTN database on 02-09-2021 (ISRCTN80519674).


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Ellis ◽  
J. M. Thomason ◽  
N. J. Jepson ◽  
F. Nohl ◽  
D. G. Smith ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Schneider ◽  
Jessica Markovinovic ◽  
Jutta Mata

Abstract Background Restaurants are ideal settings for implementing food interventions targeted at children. Studies with adults suggest that changes to the physical menu can lead to healthier food choices; online studies with parents indicate that specific menu designs facilitate healthier choices. However, it is unknown whether applying well-established nudging and boosting methods to children’s menus also increases their choice of healthier meals in a real-world restaurant setting. Methods The effects of two versions of a restaurant menu on the frequency of choosing a healthy meal (newly created, healthy target dish) were tested in a blinded quasi-randomized controlled trial. The menu in the control condition contained all dishes (including the healthy target dish) in a standardized format. The intervention menu included nudging (e.g. comic character, fun attractive name for the dish) and boosting elements (e.g. information on low calorie density) next to the healthy target dish. Over five months, the control and intervention menus were switched every two weeks and records were made of how often the healthy target dish was ordered. Results In total, 607 orders were made from the children’s restaurant menu (57% from the intervention menu). During the intervention phase, 4.2% of all ordered dishes from the children’s menu were the healthy target dish, during the control phase, 4.4% of orders were for the target dish (p=.896). Conclusions Contrary to our hypothesis, a modified children’s menu did not lead to a significant increase in the number of orders for a healthy dish compared with a neutral control menu. Importantly, given that parents and children often choose the child’s dish together, particularly boosting methods that focus on social processes and joint decision making could be promising to increase children’s frequency of healthy food choices in restaurants. Trial registration DRKS00027039, registered on 11/22/2021, (Retrospectively registered).


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