Clinical trial NCT06584539: Eco-labels on Restaurant Menus
Official title: Online Randomized Experiment Evaluating Eco-Labels on Restaurant Menus
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Nutrition
Food Selection
Food Preferences
Dietary Habits
Healthy Diet
Lead sponsor: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Stanford University
First posted: 2024-09-05
Enrollment: 3147
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The goal of this study is to determine whether eco-labels denoting more sustainable menu items improve the healthfulness of participants' entrée and appetizer selections from a restaurant menu. US adults will complete a restaurant ordering task in which they will select menu items to order from a mock restaurant menu modeled after a popular US sit-down restaurant. Participants will be randomized to a restaurant menu with or without eco-labels denoting more sustainable menu items. The investigators will record participants' selections from the menu. Participants will also answer survey questions.

Detailed description: The goal of this study is to determine whether eco-labels denoting more sustainable menu items improve the healthfulness of participants' entrée and appetizer selections. The survey research company Cloud Research will recruit a sample of approximately 3,100 US adults ages 18+ who read and speak English.

Participants will complete a between-subjects online randomized experiment. They will perform a restaurant ordering task in which they will select menu items to order from a mock restaurant menu modeled after a popular US sit-down restaurant. They will be randomized to 1 of 2 conditions: 1) eco-labels or 2) control. In the eco-labels condition, participants will order from a restaurant menu with eco-labels next to more sustainable menu items. In the control condition, participants will order from a restaurant menu without eco-labels. The investigators will record participants' selections from the menu. After completing the ordering task, participants will complete an online survey.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged 18 years or older
* Reside in the US
* Can read and speak English

Exclusion Criteria:

* Under the age of 18 years
* Reside outside of the United States
* Unable to complete a survey in English

Primary outcomes:
measure: Healthfulness of participants' entrée and appetizer selections
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Healthfulness of participants' restaurant selections
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Calories selected from all items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Calories selected from entrees and appetizers
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Sodium selected from all items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Sodium selected from entrees and appetizers
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Saturated fat selected from all items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Saturated fat selected from entrees and appetizers
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Sugar selected from all items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Sugar selected from entrees and appetizers
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Fiber selected from all items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Fiber selected from entrees and appetizers
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Protein selected from all items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Protein selected from entrees and appetizers
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Carbon footprint of all items selected
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Carbon footprint of entrees and appetizers selected
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Noticing of eco-labels
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Thinking about the environmental effects of food
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Thinking about the healthfulness of food
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Thinking about the taste of food
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Perceived sustainability of sustainable menu items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Perceived healthfulness of sustainable menu items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Perceived tastiness of sustainable menu items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Perceived sustainability of unsustainable menu items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Perceived healthfulness of unsustainable menu items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Perceived tastiness of unsustainable menu items
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
Other outcomes:
measure: Liking of the eco-label
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Wanting to see the eco-label on restaurant menus
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Label helpfulness in choosing more environmentally sustainable foods
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
measure: Perceptions of control over making sustainable eating decisions
timeFrame: Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes
Locations:
city: Boston
country: United States
facility: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
affiliation: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute
name: Joshua Petimar, ScD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Stanford University
name: Anna Grummon, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: