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

University of Liverpool

Status: Completed

Conditions: Food Selection; Obesity; Diet, Healthy; Nutrition Poor

Treatments: Other: Menu configuration (presence of energy labelling); Other: Menu configuration (more lower energy options added)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04336540

803194 1B2

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full description

See attached protocol documents.

Enrollment: 2,091 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

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.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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2,091 participants in 4 patient groups

Energy labelling

Experimental group

Description:

Energy labelling provided on restaurant menus

Treatment:

Other: Menu configuration (presence of energy labelling)

No energy labelling

No Intervention group

Description:

No energy labelling provided on restaurant menus

Increased availability of lower energy meals

Experimental group

Description:

Higher proportion of meals are 600kcals or less

Treatment:

Other: Menu configuration (presence of energy labelling)

Other: Menu configuration (more lower energy options added)

Baseline availability of lower energy meals

No Intervention group

Description:

Proportion of meals that are 600kcals or less at baseline level