Clinical trial NCT03340363: "Make It Fresh, For Less" Supermarket Pilot Study
Official title: "Make It Fresh, For Less" Supermarket Pilot Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Food Habits
Consumer Behavior
Lead sponsor: Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Duke University
name: University of New England
name: Massachusetts General Hospital
First posted: 2017-11-13
Enrollment: 401
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of environmental modifications (choice architecture and a marketing campaign) in combination with weekly text messages on purchases of foods made by parents shopping in a large supermarket.

Detailed description: The "Make It Fresh, For Less" Supermarket Pilot Study is a supermarket-based intervention developed by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with the nonprofit organization ChopChop Magazine (chopchopmagazine.org) and a large Northeastern supermarket chain. A promotional campaign advertising low-cost, kid-friendly meals was piloted in one store selected by the supermarket partner, with promotions rotating every 4 weeks during a 16-week intervention period. Parent shoppers were recruited (n=401) at the store and given a study loyalty card to track their transactions. At the start of the intervention, half of the participants were additionally randomized to receive weekly behavioral messages via text message or email. Supermarket purchases were assessed at baseline, during the 16-week intervention, and up to 6-weeks post-intervention.

Primary Aim 1: to examine the impact of a choice architecture intervention in combination with a promotional campaign on food purchases of parents shopping in a large supermarket. It is hypothesized that there will be an increase in selection of foods targeted by the promotional campaign when physical modifications are made.

Primary Aim 2: to examine the impact of weekly behavioral messages in combination with an environmental change intervention on food purchases of parents shopping in a large supermarket. It is hypothesized that there will be a greater increase in selection of foods targeted by the promotional campaign among participants receiving the messages compared to participants exposed to the environmental change intervention alone.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 18 years of age or older
* English-speaking
* Live with a child 18 years of age or younger
* Do more than 50% of shopping at the study store
* Primary shopper in the household

Exclusion Criteria:

* None

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in weekly purchases of recipe components (Selection of items bundled with each recipe) during four, 4-week promotional campaigns
timeFrame: Baseline, during intervention (4 weeks each) and up to 6 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in weekly purchases of other food categories (substitution of recipe ingredients for other foods)
timeFrame: Baseline, during intervention (4 weeks each) and up to 6 weeks post-intervention
measure: Differential change in weekly purchases of recipe components by SNAP-eligibility
timeFrame: Baseline, during intervention (4 weeks each) and up to 6 weeks post-intervention
measure: Differential change in weekly purchases of other food groups (substitution) by SNAP-eligibility
timeFrame: Baseline, during intervention (4 weeks each) and up to 6 weeks post-intervention
measure: Acceptability of intervention (self-reported survey measures)
timeFrame: Up to 6 weeks post-intervention
measure: Recall of intervention (self-reported survey measures)
timeFrame: Up to 6 weeks post-intervention
measure: Adoption of intervention (self-reported survey measures)
timeFrame: Up to 6 weeks post-intervention
measure: Reach of intervention (direct observation measures)
timeFrame: During intervention (4 weeks each)
measure: Fidelity to intended intervention (direct observation measures)
timeFrame: During intervention (4 weeks each)
Other outcomes:
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