scholarly journals Nudging and boosting children’s restaurant menus for healthier food choice: a blinded quasi-randomized controlled trial in a real life setting

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Schneider ◽  
Jessica Markovinovic ◽  
Jutta Mata
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Real Life Setting ◽  
Calorie Density

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).

Abstract MP07: Automated, Personalized Feedback and Behavioral Nudges to Improve Workplace Food Choices and Prevent Weight Gain: Choosewell 365 Randomized Controlled Trial

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne N Thorndike ◽  
Jessica L McCurley ◽  
Emily D Gelsomin ◽  
Eric B Rimm ◽  
Yuchiao Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Prevent Weight Gain

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.

Goal Management Training of Executive Functions in Patients with Spina Bifida: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 672-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Stubberud ◽  
Donna Langenbahn ◽  
Brian Levine ◽  
Johan Stanghelle ◽  
Anne-Kristine Schanke
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Neuropsychological Measures ◽  
Goal Management ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Goal Management Training

AbstractExecutive dysfunction causes significant real-life disability for patients with spina bifida (SB). However, no previous research has been directed toward the amelioration of executive functioning deficits amongst persons with SB. Goal Management Training (GMT) is a compensatory cognitive rehabilitation approach, addressing underlying deficits in sustained attention to improve executive function. GMT has received empirical support in studies of other patient groups. The purpose of the present study was to determine the efficacy of GMT in treating subjects with SB, using inpatient intervention periods. We hypothesized post-intervention changes in scores on neuropsychological measures to reflect improved attentional control, including sustained attention and inhibitory control. Thirty-eight adult subjects with SB were included in this randomized controlled trial. Inclusion was based upon the presence of executive functioning complaints. Experimental subjects (n = 24) received 21 hr of GMT, with efficacy of GMT being compared to results of subjects in a wait-list condition (n = 14). All subjects were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. Findings indicated superior effects of GMT on domain-specific neuropsychological measures and on a functional “real-life” measure, all lasting at least 6 months post-treatment. These results show that deficits in executive functioning can be ameliorated in patients with congenital brain dysfunction. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–14)

scholarly journals Effectiveness of a smartphone-based, augmented reality exposure app to reduce fear of spiders in real-life: a randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Zimmer ◽  
Nan Wang ◽  
Merle Ibach ◽  
Bernhard Fehlmann ◽  
Nathalie Schicktanz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Distress Scale

Although in vivo exposure therapy is highly effective in the treatment of specific phobias, only a minority of patients seeks therapy. Exposure to virtual objects has been shown to be better tolerated, equally efficacious, but the technology has not been made widely accessible yet. We developed an augmented reality (AR) application (app) to reduce fear of spiders and performed a randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of our app (six 30-min sessions at home over a two-week period) with no intervention. Primary outcome was subjective fear, measured by a Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) in a Behavioural Approach Test (BAT) in a real-life spider situation at six weeks follow-up. Between Oct 7, 2019, and Dec 6, 2019, 66 individuals were enrolled and randomized. The intervention led to significantly lower subjective fear in the BAT compared to the control group (intervention group, baseline: 7·12 [SD 2·03] follow-up: 5·03 [SD 2·19] vs. control group, baseline: 7·06 [SD 2·34], follow-up 6·24 [SD 2.21]; adjusted group difference -1·24, 95% CI -2·17 to -0·31; Cohen’s d=0·57, p=0·01). The repeated use of the AR app reduces subjective fear in a real-life spider situation, providing a low-threshold and low-cost treatment for fear of spiders.

scholarly journals The use of food swaps to encourage healthier online food choices: a randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Jansen ◽  
Ellen van Kleef ◽  
Ellen J. Van Loo
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Product Choices ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Store Environment

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).

scholarly journals Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate COVID-19 in India: An open-label parallel-arm phase II multicentre randomized controlled trial (PLACID Trial)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anup Agarwal ◽  
Aparna Mukherjee ◽  
Gunjan Kumar ◽  
Pranab Chatterjee ◽  
Tarun Bhatnagar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Phase Ii ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Therapeutic Option ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
And Control

Objectives: Convalescent plasma (CP) as a passive source of neutralizing antibodies and immunomodulators is a century-old therapeutic option used for the management of viral diseases. We investigated its effectiveness for the treatment of COVID-19. Design: Open-label, parallel-arm, phase II, multicentre, randomized controlled trial. Setting: Thirty-nine public and private hospitals across India. Participants: Hospitalized, moderately ill confirmed COVID-19 patients (PaO2/FiO2: 200-300 or respiratory rate > 24/min and SpO2 ≤ 93% on room air). Intervention: Participants were randomized to either control (best standard of care (BSC)) or intervention (CP + BSC) arm. Two doses of 200 mL CP was transfused 24 hours apart in the intervention arm. Main Outcome Measure: Composite of progression to severe disease (PaO2/FiO2<100) or all-cause mortality at 28 days post-enrolment. Results: Between 22 nd April to 14 th July 2020, 464 participants were enrolled; 235 and 229 in intervention and control arm, respectively. Composite primary outcome was achieved in 44 (18.7%) participants in the intervention arm and 41 (17.9%) in the control arm [aOR: 1.09; 95% CI: 0.67, 1.77]. Mortality was documented in 34 (14.5%) and 31 (13.5%) participants in intervention and control arm, respectively [aOR) 1.06 95% CI: 0.61 to 1.83]. Interpretation: CP was not associated with reduction in mortality or progression to severe COVID-19. This trial has high generalizability and approximates real-life setting of CP therapy in settings with limited laboratory capacity. A priori measurement of neutralizing antibody titres in donors and participants may further clarify the role of CP in management of COVID-19.

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