Encouraging Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Substitutions

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
The aim of this study is to examine emerging adults' responses to dietary substitution messages about health, the environment, or both health and the environment.

Detailed Description
-----------------
This online study will examine emerging adults' responses to dietary substitution messages about 4 different topics. Participants will be randomized to 1 of 4 topic arms: 1) Control (neutral topic, not related to health or the environment); 2) Health topic; 3) Environment topic; 4) Health and Environment topic. Participants will view messages about each of 4 dietary substitutions: replacing red meat with chicken or vegetarian options; replacing dairy milk with non-dairy milk; replacing juice with whole fruit; and replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water. For each dietary substitution, participants will view 2 messages about their assigned topic, with the 2 messages shown in random order. Participants will rate each message on perceived message effectiveness (primary outcome).

Official Title
-----------------
Encouraging Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Substitutions: A Randomized Experiment With Emerging Adults

Conditions
-----------------
Food Selection

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Behavioral: Health messages
* Behavioral: Environmental messages
* Behavioral: Health and environmental messages
* Behavioral: Neutral messages


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: Age between 18-25 years Reside in the United States Ability to complete a survey in English Exclusion Criteria: Older than 25 years; younger than 18 years Reside outside of the United States Unable to complete a survey in English

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 25 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Health messages<br>Messages shown will be related to the health impacts of making certain dietary substitutions (replacing beef with chicken and vegetarian entrees; replacing juice with whole fruit; replacing dairy milk with non-dairy milk; replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water). | Behavioral: Health messages<br>* Participants view messages about the health impacts of certain dietary substitutions.<br>|
| Experimental: Environment messages<br>Messages shown will be related to the environmental impacts of making certain dietary substitutions (replacing beef with chicken and vegetarian entrees; replacing juice with whole fruit; replacing dairy milk with non-dairy milk; replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water). | Behavioral: Environmental messages<br>* Participants view messages about the environmental impacts of certain dietary substitutions.<br>|
| Experimental: Health and environment messages<br>Messages shown will be related to the health and environmental impacts of making certain dietary substitutions (replacing beef with chicken and vegetarian entrees; replacing juice with whole fruit; replacing dairy milk with non-dairy milk; replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water). | Behavioral: Health and environmental messages<br>* Participants view messages about the health and environmental impacts of certain dietary substitutions.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Neutral messages<br>Messages shown will be neutral and unrelated to the health or environmental impacts of making certain dietary substitutions (replacing beef with chicken and vegetarian entrees; replacing juice with whole fruit; replacing dairy milk with non-dairy milk; replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water). | Behavioral: Neutral messages<br>* Participants view neutral messages unrelated to the health and environmental impacts of certain dietary substitutions.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Perceived message effectiveness | Participants will rate each message on perceived message effectiveness (PME) for encouraging participants to make the target dietary substitution. PME will be assessed with 4 items [the text shown in brackets will be tailored to each substitution]: This message discourages me from wanting to [eat beef and pork / drink juice / drink cow's milk / drink sugary drinks]. This message makes [eating beef and pork, etc.]. This message makes me concerned about the effects of [eating beef and pork, etc.]. This message motivates me to [eat chicken or vegetarian options instead of beef and pork, etc.]. The response options for each item are: 1=Not at all, 2=Very little, 3=Somewhat, 4=Quite a bit, 5=A great deal. Investigators will average responses to these 4 items to create a perceived message effectiveness score. Higher scores indicated higher perceived message effectiveness. | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 

 Terms related to the study
=================
Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
-----------------
food choices, dietary substitutions, diet, emerging adults, health, environment, sustainability