Delays to Influence Snack Choice

NCT ID: NCT02359916

Last Updated: 2018-02-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 32662 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2015-06-30
• Study Completion Date: 2016-08-31

Brief Summary

The pervasiveness of high-calorie, nutrient-poor snacks in the environment is believed to have contributed to the epidemic levels of obesity and cardiometabolic disease in the U.S. This project tests whether a novel snack vending machine system that uses brief time delays to reduce the immediacy of reward from unhealthy snacks will improve the healthfulness of snack choices. If successful, this project will identify a new environmental intervention that could contribute substantially to obesity and cardiometabolic disease prevention efforts in schools, worksites, and other settings.

Detailed Description

Environmental interventions that address the high availability of unhealthy snacks in the environment are needed to prevent a large projected increase in the incidence of obesity and cardiometabolic disease in the U.S. Prior studies from the investigators group and others suggests that the human preference for immediate gratification from food drives dietary overconsumption, but this knowledge has not yet translated to more effective dietary intervention strategies. This project tests whether a novel snack vending machine system that uses brief time delays to reduce the immediacy of reward from unhealthy snacks will improve the healthfulness of snack choices. This study uses an experimental design to compare brief time delays, two forms of 25% differential pricing, and time delays combined with both forms of 25% differential pricing on their ability to increase purchasing of healthy snacks. Test machines will be placed in existing, high-volume vending locations, and each of these five experimental conditions will run for roughly four weeks. Additionally, baseline purchasing under no intervention will be monitored for four weeks before and four weeks after the five experimental conditions. Specific Aim 2 compares the effects of these five interventions against baseline on the proportion of total vending sales from healthy snacks. Specific Aim 3 tests whether time delays or differential pricing harm overall vending machine sales in the test machines. This study not only tests a compelling theory about the effects of time delays and immediate reward on food choice, but evaluates the efficacy and feasibility of a novel intervention to improve the healthfulness of snack choices in worksites, schools, and other settings.

Conditions

Food Choice

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: ECOLOGIC_OR_COMMUNITY
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

A

Snacks sold under equal pricing, no delays

No interventions assigned to this group

B

Healthier snacks sold at 25% or $0.25 discount, no delays

25%/$0.25 discount on healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

C

Less healthy snacks sold at equal pricing with delays

Time delays on delivery of less healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

D

Healthy snacks sold at 25% or $0.25 discount, plus delays on less healthy snacks

Time delays on delivery of less healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

25%/$0.25 discount on healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

E

Less healthy snacks sold at 25% or $0.25 higher price, no delays

25%/$0.25 tax on less healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

F

Less healthy snacks sold at 25% or $0.25 higher price, plus delays

Time delays on delivery of less healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

25%/$0.25 tax on less healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

G

Snacks sold under equal pricing, no delays

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Time delays on delivery of less healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

25%/$0.25 discount on healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

25%/$0.25 tax on less healthy snacks

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Not applicable

Exclusion Criteria

• Not applicable

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Rush University Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Brad Appelhans

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Bradley M Appelhans, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Associate Professor

Locations

Rush University Medical Center

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Countries

United States

References

Appelhans BM, French SA, Olinger T, Bogucki M, Janssen I, Avery-Mamer EF, Powell LM. Leveraging delay discounting for health: Can time delays influence food choice? Appetite. 2018 Jul 1;126:16-25. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.03.010. Epub 2018 Mar 15.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 29551401 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

13012802

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id