Evaluation of the "Eat Less Meat" One-month Challenge

NCT ID: NCT05752786

Last Updated: 2023-08-30

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 366 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-02-01
• Study Completion Date: 2023-06-18

Brief Summary

In a context where meat consumption should be dramatically reduced in western countries to improve both population and planet health, the "Eat Less Meat" one-month challenge is a new behavioural intervention that aims (i) to weaken meat consumption habit and (ii) to enhance intrinsic motivation to eat less meat to trigger long-term reduction in meat consumption. The present study focusses on the quantitative evaluation of the effect of this challenge on French university student's meat consumption.

Parallel two-arm randomized controlled trial with repeated measures (online questionnaires) pre-, during- and post-intervention. All the participants will be recruited to take part in the "Eat Less Meat" challenge for one month. Participants in the control group will take part in the challenge 4 months after the participants in the intervention group. Participants in both groups will complete the online questionnaires at the exact same time, i.e., pre-, during- and post-intervention measures will take place before the control group starts the challenge.

Conditions

Diet, Healthy; Food Habits

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

"Eat Less Meat" challenge

Participants take part in the "Eat Less Meat" challenge

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

"Eat Less Meat" Challenge

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be able to choose their goal for the challenge for one month: (i) no meat, (ii) meat 3 times a week, (iii) meat 6 times a week (which will need to be lower than current consumption). The first day of the challenge, the participants will receive by email a cookbook and a starter kit with advices and motivational tips, then they will receive an email each week with more advices and motivational tips. Participants will be also asked to follow the Instagram account of the challenge during one month where (i) one post will be posted each day, (ii) engaging stories requiring interactions will be posted regularly, (iii) participants can ask their questions to the research team, (iv) participants can interact with each other's. The Instagram posts will cover three main topics: (i) knowledge about meat and its impact on health and environment, (ii) tips for meat-free cooking, (iii) social/contextual pressure to eat meat and how to avoid it.

"Eat Less Meat" challenge later

Participants take part in the "Eat Less Meat" challenge 4 months after the participants in the experimental arm, i.e., after all measures completion

Group Type: OTHER

"Eat Less Meat" Challenge

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be able to choose their goal for the challenge for one month: (i) no meat, (ii) meat 3 times a week, (iii) meat 6 times a week (which will need to be lower than current consumption). The first day of the challenge, the participants will receive by email a cookbook and a starter kit with advices and motivational tips, then they will receive an email each week with more advices and motivational tips. Participants will be also asked to follow the Instagram account of the challenge during one month where (i) one post will be posted each day, (ii) engaging stories requiring interactions will be posted regularly, (iii) participants can ask their questions to the research team, (iv) participants can interact with each other's. The Instagram posts will cover three main topics: (i) knowledge about meat and its impact on health and environment, (ii) tips for meat-free cooking, (iii) social/contextual pressure to eat meat and how to avoid it.

Interventions

"Eat Less Meat" Challenge

Participants will be able to choose their goal for the challenge for one month: (i) no meat, (ii) meat 3 times a week, (iii) meat 6 times a week (which will need to be lower than current consumption). The first day of the challenge, the participants will receive by email a cookbook and a starter kit with advices and motivational tips, then they will receive an email each week with more advices and motivational tips. Participants will be also asked to follow the Instagram account of the challenge during one month where (i) one post will be posted each day, (ii) engaging stories requiring interactions will be posted regularly, (iii) participants can ask their questions to the research team, (iv) participants can interact with each other's. The Instagram posts will cover three main topics: (i) knowledge about meat and its impact on health and environment, (ii) tips for meat-free cooking, (iii) social/contextual pressure to eat meat and how to avoid it.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• BMI ≥ 18.5
• University student in 'Bourgogne Franche-Comté'
• Fluent in French
• Available email address
• Available Instagram profile

Exclusion Criteria

• Vegetarian or vegan or pescetarian
• Pregnant/breastfeeding
• Iron deficiency

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Lucile Marty

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation

Locations

Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation

Dijon, , France

Countries

France

References

Marty L, Biehlmann M, Louveau A, Poquet D, Robinson E. The "Eat Less Meat" one-month challenge: a randomized controlled trial of a meat reduction pledge intervention among French university students. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2025 Oct 27;22(1):131. doi: 10.1186/s12966-025-01831-7.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 41146183 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Study Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Individual Participant Data Set

View Document

Other Identifiers

EIPH0154

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id