Clinical trial NCT04186533: A Default Option for Health: Improving Nutrition Within the Financial and Geographic Constraints of Food Insecurity
Official title: A Default Option for Health: Improving Nutrition Within the Financial and Geographic Constraints of Food Insecurity
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Food Selection
Obesity
Keywords: food insecurity
nutrition
obesity
default option
online grocery shopping
Lead sponsor: University at Albany
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
First posted: 2019-12-04
Enrollment: 38
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: 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.

Detailed description: 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).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. At least 18 years old
2. Residing in a single person household
3. Receiving assistance at a food pantry
4. Able to read and write in English
5. Able to provide informed consent
6. Current residence in a zip code served by Price Chopper's delivery program
7. None of the following dietary restrictions: Vegetarian/vegan, Gluten-free/celiacs, Lactose intolerance, egg allergy

Primary outcomes:
measure: Healthy Eating Index Score
timeFrame: 1 month
measure: Calories
timeFrame: 1 month
measure: Energy Density
timeFrame: 1 month
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Albany
country: United States
facility: University at Albany, SUNY
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: University at Albany
name: Julia M Hormes, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Coffino JA, Han GT, Evans EW, Luba R, Hormes JM. A Default Option to Improve Nutrition for Adults With Low Income Using a Prefilled Online Grocery Shopping Cart. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2021 Sep;53(9):759-769. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2021.06.011.