An interventional study of Default Option and Nutrition Education in Food Selection and Obesity, sponsored by University at Albany. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-12-04.
Sponsored by University at Albany · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Food insecurity is associated with an increased risk of obesity. The availability of a default option (i.e., option a consumer selects if no active choice is made) has been shown to effectively nudge consumer behavior. An online default option (i.e., prefilled grocery shopping cart) was previously shown to positively impact the food purchases of individuals with food insecurity.The present study aims to extend these findings bye examining efficacy of an online default option in enhancing the nutritional quality of online grocery purchases in individuals with food insecurity over the course of a month.
Food insecurity is associated with an increased risk of obesity and weight-related illnesses. The present study is the first longitudinal randomized control trial to examine if an online prefilled grocery shopping cart (i.e., a default cart) nudges individuals with food insecurity to purchase healthier groceries compared to receiving nutrition education.
It was hypothesized that the prefilled online grocery shopping cart (i.e., default condition) will result in a significant improvement in the nutritional quality of groceries purchased compared to those receiving nutrition education.
Thirty-eight food pantry users recruited from food pantries in New York in 2018 were enrolled in the present study and were given $48.50 to purchase groceries weekly using an online grocery website for five weeks. At baseline, participants were instructed to purchase groceries keeping in mind nutrition, cost, and taste. For the subsequent four weeks (T1-T4), participants were randomized to receive 1) nutrition education or 2) a prefilled online grocery shopping cart that met their nutritional needs based on age and sex (Default).
Our primary nutritional outcomes included HEI scores, calories (kcal), and energy density (kcal/grams).
40 studies on the registry are indexed under Food Preferences; 13 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 38 is below the median of 154 across 29 interventional studies indexed under Food Preferences.
Browse Food Preferences studies →University at Albany is the lead sponsor of 11 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.
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Inclusion Criteria:
Participants in the default condition were presented with a pre-filled online shopping cart containing a combination of groceries that meet macro- and micronutrient requirements for their gender and age, and told that they are free to delete, add, and exchange any item they wish to finalize their selections.
Behavioral: Default Option
Participants in the nutrition education condition were instructed to read brief nutrition education handouts before online grocery shopping.
Behavioral: Nutrition Education
The default option is a behavioral economics construct that refers to the option a consumer selects if no active choice is made (e.g. opt-out 401K plans, which significantly increase enrollment, compared to active sign up). Participants in the default condition were presented with a prefilled online shopping cart containing groceries that met nutritional requirements based on participants' gender and age.
The nutrition education materials were adapted from materials currently utilized by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program
Healthy Eating Index Score
(score ranging from 0-100
Time frame: 1 month
Calories
kcal
Time frame: 1 month
Energy Density
kcal/grams
Time frame: 1 month
Plan to share: No
Ran from Feb 2018 to primary completion in May 2018, 3 months.
Of 27 interventional studies with no phase under Food Preferences, half reached primary completion within 10 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 33. This study's 3 months is below that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2019. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University at Albany