The Influence of Fictitious Peers in a Social Media Intervention for Downsizing Portions: The Smart Snacking Studies

University of Leeds

Status: Completed

Conditions: Eating Behavior; Social Psychology

Treatments: Behavioral: Smart snacking intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04064775

17-0111/ 17-0094

Details and patient eligibility

About

The 2 interventions aimed to examine whether peer-led nudging on social media may be a way of influencing young adults and adolescents to reduce their self-reported ideal portion sizes of high energy-dense snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Full description

Two pilot interventions were conducted which examined the influence of peer-led nudging on social media as a way of influencing self-reported ideal portions of high energy-dense snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages. In both interventions the peers posted images of 'their' snacks and beverages, which constituted the recommended portion, onto an Instagram account. The peers also posted images relating to portion sizes, calories and other information related to health but not specifically portion size. It was hypothesised that viewing images of peers' snacks would influence the participants to reduce their own snack and beverage ideal portion sizes.

Intervention 1 lasted for 2 weeks and recruited young adults and used a within-subjects design. Intervention 2 lasted for 4 weeks and recruited adolescents and used a between-subjects design. In intervention 2, participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control condition. This protocol focusses on intervention 2.

In both interventions, participants in the intervention condition were added to an Instagram account and were required to visit Instagram daily and to like all posts. All participants (intervention and control) completed a survey at baseline and at the end of the intervention, and completed quizzes at the end of each week.

Enrollment: 44 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 13 to 16 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

13-16 years old (intervention 2)

Exclusion criteria

• Younger than 13 or older than 16 (intervention 2).
• History of or current eating disorder

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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44 participants in 2 patient groups

Smart snacking intervention

Experimental group

Description:

In intervention 2 participants took part in a 4-week intervention on Instagram. Participants saw images of fictitious peers' snacks or beverages three times per week, and saw snack information images three times per week. Peer snack images were posted on days 2,4 and 6 of each week, and snack information images were posted on days 1,3 and 5 of each week. Images were posted between 10-11am each day. Participants also completed quizzes related to snacking at the end of weeks 1-3. Participants completed a survey at baseline and intervention end to assess their ideal portion sizes to allow for examination of the effectiveness of the intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Smart snacking intervention

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in the control received no intervention. They completed the questionnaires at the end of weeks 1, 2 and 3, and also completed the surveys at baseline and intervention end.