Effects of Restaurant Menu Design on Food Ordering Outcomes

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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High cognitive load activities can influence energy intake from food. It is unknown how restaurant menu designs may affect patrons in terms of cognitive demand and subsequent ordering of food.Objective: Our objective was to develop and experimentally test menu designs that differ in cognitive load to test the subjective and objective stress measures on food ordering.

Detailed Description
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For the first experiment, a parallel randomized trial of healthy young adults (n= 30) was conducted to compare ordering from one of two menu designs (easy - E, hard - H) developed in a prior pilot study. In the second experiment, restrained eaters were specifically recruited and asked to fast before the experiment to determine the influence of cognitive load of menus on energy ordered (n=31). Galvanic skin response was used as an objective proxy for relative cognitive load, and questionnaires were used to assess perceptions of the menus. The main outcomes were the number of items ordered and total energy of the items ordered (in kilocalories).

Official Title
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Effects of Menu Design on Psychophysiological Measures of Cognitive Load and Food Ordering Outcomes

Conditions
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Food Preferences

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Menu design


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Experiment 1 Inclusion Criteria: Normal vision or corrective lenses Normal hearing or a hearing aid A moderate level of English proficiency or greater Free from current food restrictions Exclusion Criteria: Unwilling/uninterested in participation Currently taking any β-blocker medications Any serious skin conditions on the hands (because of galvanic skin sensors worn for the protocol) Experiment 2 Inclusion Criteria: Normal vision or corrective lenses Normal hearing or a hearing aid A moderate level of English proficiency or greater Free from current food restrictions Qualifying as a restrained eater by the Cognitive Restraint scale on the Eating Inventory (score of 6 for men and 10 for women) Exclusion Criteria: Unwilling/uninterested in participation Currently taking any β-blocker medications Any serious skin conditions on the hands (because of galvanic skin sensors worn for the protocol)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 19 Years
Maximum Age: 35 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Parallel arm randomized controlled trial
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Experiment 1 Easy<br>For the first experiment, subjects in this arm received the easy menu during the protocol. | Behavioral: Menu design<br>* Participants were given 5 minutes to order a hypothetical meal from the assigned test menu by circling all items they wanted to order.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Experiment 1 Hard<br>For the first experiment, subjects in this arm received the hard menu during the protocol. | Behavioral: Menu design<br>* Participants were given 5 minutes to order a hypothetical meal from the assigned test menu by circling all items they wanted to order.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Experiment 2 Easy<br>For the second experiment, subjects in this arm, who qualified as restrained eaters and were asked to fast for 8 hours overnight, received the easy menu during the protocol. | Behavioral: Menu design<br>* Participants were given 5 minutes to order a hypothetical meal from the assigned test menu by circling all items they wanted to order.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Experiment 2 Hard<br>For the second experiment, subjects in this arm, who qualified as restrained eaters and were asked to fast for 8 hours overnight, received the hard menu during the protocol. | Behavioral: Menu design<br>* Participants were given 5 minutes to order a hypothetical meal from the assigned test menu by circling all items they wanted to order.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total Number of Items Ordered | Total number of items ordered off assigned menu | During the 5-minute menu ordering task | 
| Total Energy of Items ordered | Total Energy (kcals) of items ordered off assigned menu | During the 5-minute menu ordering task | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subjective ratings of difficulty of using assigned menu to order a meal | Assessed by NASA Task Load Index questionnaire | Immediately (1 minute) following the 5-minute menu ordering period | 
| Galvanic Skin Response | An objective proxy for relative cognitive load; this measure has been shown to be positively correlated with psychological stress or cognitive challenge as mediated by sympathetic nervous system activity | During the 5-minute menu ordering task | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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cognitive load, galvanic skin response, meal size, kilocalories, menu design