Nudging Nutrition With Monetary Incentives Environmental Cues

Obesity Clinical Trial

Official title:

Nudging Nutrition: Evaluating the Impact of Monetary Incentives and Environmental Cues on Food Choices

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02461108
• Other study ID #: 1110002491
• Secondary ID: 1RC1HD063370-01
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: June 1, 2015
• Last updated: June 1, 2015
• Start date: May 2010
• Est. completion date: April 2011

Study information

• Verified date: June 2015
• Source: Cornell University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The investigators hypothesize that monetary incentives and messaging, such as making nutritious foods relatively less expensive than less nutritious foods and framing the price difference in a positive or negative way, will influence purchasing behavior of households.

Description:

In this study, 239 loyalty card shoppers were recruited at Hannaford grocery stores to participate in a study in which a 10% price difference between nutritious and less nutritious foods was introduced. and then framed as a subsidy, tax, or a combination of a tax and subsidy. To determine whether or not the framing of the price difference influenced purchasing behavior, the difference was framed as a subsidy on nutritious foods, a tax on less nutritious foods, and a combination of a tax and subsidy on less nutritious and nutritious foods, respectively. The purpose of this study was to examine the general impact of this price difference on purchases of nutritious and less nutritious foods, and whether or not the framing of the price difference had a differential effect on behavior.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 221
• Est. completion date: April 2011
• Est. primary completion date: March 2011
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years to 70 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Loyalty card shoppers at Hannaford grocery stores

Exclusion Criteria:

• No children in household

• Less than 75% of food purchases made at Hannaford grocery stores

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Diet
• Food Labeling
• Health Behavior
• Obesity

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Subsidy
Frame the price difference as a 10% subsidy on nutritious food items.
• Tax
Frame the price difference as a 10% tax on less nutritious food items.
• Tax and subsidy
Frame the price difference as a 5% tax on less nutritious food items and a 5% subsidy on nutritious food items, creating a 10% relative price difference between the types of foods.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	New York City School District	New York City	New York

Sponsors (4)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Cornell University	Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Ohio State University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (1)

Pope L, Hanks AS, Just DR, Wansink B. New Year's res-illusions: food shopping in the new year competes with healthy intentions. PLoS One. 2014 Dec 16;9(12):e110561. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110561. eCollection 2014. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in expenditures on nutritious and less nutritious foods	Item level transaction data were collected for each participant between mid-July 2010 and mid-March 2011. These data included expenditures on all items purchased in the store. Average weekly expenditures were generated and reported in Aug 2011.	8 months	No
Secondary	Change in quantities purchased of nutritious and less nutritious foods	Item level transaction data were collected for each participant between mid-July 2010 and mid-March 2011. These data included quantities of all items purchased in the store. Average weekly quantities purchased were generated and reported in Aug 2011.	8 months	No
Secondary	Change in expenditures on nutritious and less nutritious foods in specific food categories.	Item level transaction data were collected for each participant between mid-July 2010 and mid-March 2011. These data included expenditures on all items purchased in the store, as well as the specific product type. With this information, product groupings can be created, such as for dairy, candy, and fresh produce. Average weekly expenditures for these groupings were generated and reported in July 2012.	8 months	No