Does Food Labeling Influence Long-term Food Intake and Eating-related Variables in Women?
Condition: Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Weight management is a critical issue in developed countries where the prevalence of obesity
      is always increasing. While the mismatch of energy intake and energy expenditure is
      recognized as a leading cause of obesity, knowledge related to the determinants of healthy
      eating patterns are still an important issue to further address. Various nutrition-education
      campaigns have been implemented as a way to increase knowledge about healthy foods and
      facilitate the adoption of better eating behaviors. There is currently social and politic
      pressure on health authorities to increase availability of nutrition information as a way to
      tackle the obesity epidemic. Does nutrition information on food labels really contribute to
      improving dietary intake among the population and to helping them to better manage their body
      weight? Some evidence suggests that describing foods as healthy might have unintended
      enhancement effects on the acute amount of food and calories consumed. A better understanding
      of how and why nutrient and calorie labels influence acute and chronic intake is thus needed.
      This study investigate how providing nutritional information on food labels influences intake
      and eating-related variables over a 10-day period among women characterized by varying levels
      of adiposity. As it has never been investigated before, the present research will provide
      important knowledge on the long-term impacts of different food labeling strategies on the
      regulation of food intake. It will also help to determine whether weight status could
      influence the effects of perceptions about foods on intake, so that the investigators can
      identify individuals who mostly tend to overeat in specific situations. Consumer advocacy
      organizations are urging government to adopt policies regarding food labeling. Such research
      is thus of great relevance for the promotion of healthy body weight at the population level,
      as it will clearly contribute to assess how food labels should be used by health governing
      bodies in the context of the obesity epidemic.
    

Detailed description: 
      Much effort has been invested to educate Canadians about the importance of healthy eating and
      active living. Various food labeling strategies are currently used (e.g. nutrient-content
      claims approved by Health Canada), or strongly suggested (e.g. calorie information on
      restaurant menus), as tools to increase knowledge about healthy food choices and to help
      consumers make more so-called healthier choices. Does nutrition information on food labels
      really contribute to improve dietary intakes among the population? Some evidence does suggest
      that food labeling could influence consumer's choices and purchases. But, consumers remain
      confused about what healthy eating should be, and about how many calories they should be
      eating per day. Data suggest that only 50% of them truly understand and use food labels.
      Results regarding the impact of food labeling on intake are less convincing. We have recently
      shown that perceiving a snack food as healthy increased intake of that food by 35% in female
      students. Health halos promoted by nutrition information may lead consumers to draw
      misleading inferences from food labels. Considering current public pressure on health
      authorities to increased availability of nutrition information as a way to attack the obesity
      epidemic, long-term impact of food labeling strategies on food intake regulation represents a
      critical key issue that have not been yet investigated.

      The general objective of the present research proposal is to investigate how providing
      nutritional information on food labels influences intake and eating-related variables over a
      10-day period among women. We will more specifically:

        1. Compare the impact of 1) nutrient quality and 2) calorie content food labels vs. "no
           label" condition on mean ad libitum intake and appetite sensations before/after meals
           over a 10-day period in women.

        2. Examine how body weight (normal versus obesity) influences the impact of the nutrient
           quality and calorie content food labels on mean ad libitum intake and appetite
           sensations over a 10-day period in women.

        3. Verify whether types of food labels influence attitudes towards meals offered (i.e.
           perceived healthiness, appropriateness, palatability) over a 10-day period in women.
    

Intervention name(s): Nutrient-label; Calorie-label; No label
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A label indicating that the lunch they will eat is low in saturated fat and free from trans fat will be posted on the containers.; A label indicating the amount of calories for a fixed serving plus information about daily caloric requirement ("The recommended daily caloric intake for an average adult is 2000 calories") will be posted on the containers.; Lunches will be free from labels, so that no nutritional information will be provided to the participants(control group).
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Keywords: Food labeling