NCT04340791

Increased Proportion of Lower Energy Density Items vs. Nutritional Labelling at an Online Supermarket

Effectiveness of Information-based Versus Structural Interventions on Food Choices by Socioeconomic Position: a Randomized Controlled Trial in an Experimental Online Supermarket

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,000 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Liverpool · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will be a 2x2 randomised controlled trial with information-based intervention (no labelling / labelling) and structural intervention (default proportion / increased proportion of lower energy density food items) as between-subject factors and energy density (kcal/g) of food purchases during an online supermarket-shopping task as dependent variable. This study will use an online supermarket platform developed to mimic an online supermarket website and participants will be asked to complete a shopping task using a pre-determined shopping list of 10 items.

Detailed description

See attached protocol documents.

Conditions

• Diet, Healthy
• Food Selection

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Increased proportion of lower energy density items	The proportion of lower energy density vs. higher energy density items will be reversed (67% lower - 33% higher) relative to the default proportion condition (D and DL) (33% lower - 67% higher). Lower energy density items will be defined as lower energy density ≤ median of energy density distribution within a food category.
BEHAVIORAL	Labelling	When energy density of an item ≤ median of ED distribution within a food category, "healthier choice" badges will be added to the food item pictures on the online supermarket. Instructions when logging-into the platform will introduce the badges to the participants: "In the online supermarket, the green tick allows you to see which products (e.g. muesli) in each product category (e.g. cereals) are healthier choices with fewer calories per gram than most other products in the same category."

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-04-13
• Primary completion: 2020-04-13
• Completion: 2020-05-13
• First posted: 2020-04-10
• Last updated: 2020-11-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom