Nutrition Labeling Program to Promote Healthy Dietary Patterns

University Ghent

Status: Completed

Conditions: Nutrition; Diet

Treatments: Other: nutrition label

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01249508

EC/2008/482

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to evaluate a nutrition labelling program in improving university canteen customers' dietary pattern and behavioural determinants (e.g. knowledge).

Full description

The increase in diet related diseases worldwide is considered to be primarily caused by a changing environment encouraging high energy intakes and a sedentary lifestyle. Examples of important environmental factors are the changing nature of the food supply, the changing socio-demographic structure of the population, the lack of nutrition information and the increasing reliance on foods consumed away from home. This evolution has driven the development of measures to encourage more healthy eating patterns. Nutrition labelling is one of those measures. Since adults and students spend approximately half their waking hours at the workplace or university, the work or study environment is believed to be an appropriate setting to assess and try to change individuals' dietary behaviour. This study aims to evaluate a nutrition labelling program in improving university canteen customers' dietary pattern and behavioural determinants (e.g. knowledge).

Enrollment: 474 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 17 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• university students and staff
• frequent university canteen customers
• willing to participate

Exclusion criteria

• non-frequent university canteen customers

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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474 participants in 1 patient group

implemented nutrition label

Experimental group

Description:

A one-group pre-/post-design is used for the evaluation of the university canteen-based nutrition labeling program. This means that all participants of the program are exposed to the nutrition label implemented in the university canteen. The subject essentially serves as its own control based on pre-test behaviour. The nutrition label implemented is a star rating label calculated and assigned to each meal offered at the university canteens and based on the content of energy, saturated fat, sodium and fibre (expressed as vegetable portion).

Treatment:

Other: nutrition label