The Family Grocery Pilot: Optimal Defaults in Online Grocery Shopping Among Families

NCT ID: NCT05899634

Last Updated: 2025-08-11

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 70 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-06-14
• Study Completion Date: 2024-12-31

Brief Summary

The obesity epidemic continues to be a major public health concern, impacting nearly one-fifth of US children. One of the most robust predictors of childhood obesity risk is parental obesity and children who are overweight by age 5 are at increased risk for future obesity. A healthful diet is a significant part of preventing overweight and obesity and the home food environment can be a predictor of children's dietary intake. The goal of the proposed pilot study is to examine the feasibility and efficacy of a new family-based approach to early childhood obesity prevention, using optimal defaults in the form of pre-filled, default online grocery shopping carts to promote healthier grocery shopping among families with young children at risk for obesity, potentially influencing the home food environment and dietary intake.

Detailed Description

The goal of the proposed pilot study is to examine the feasibility and efficacy of a new family-based approach to early childhood obesity prevention, using optimal defaults in the form of pre-filled, default online grocery shopping carts to promote healthier grocery shopping among families with young children at risk for obesity. The specific aims are to: (1) test the feasibility and efficacy of a Defaults grocery shopping intervention designed to promote healthier grocery purchases among families with obesity, and (2) test effects of this intervention on the home food environment and dietary intake. To do this a randomized controlled intervention study has been designed, in which all study participants will receive 3 healthy recipes each week of a two-week intervention period, and intervention group will have their online grocery shopping carts pre-filled with corresponding ingredients.

Families who already grocery shop online and who have a 2-to-5-year-old child at home who is at increased obesity risk based on parental weight status will be randomly assigned to the intervention (Defaults) or control (Recipes) group. At baseline, all participants will complete a survey online and then will grocery shop as usual for two weeks. The baseline period will also serve as a run-in period, and participants who do not comply with study guidelines for baseline procedures will not be randomized for further participation. Participants will then be randomized and enter a two-week intervention period. During this period, all participants will be given recipe cards (3 main meal recipes + 1 snack/breakfast recipe each week), featuring healthful, budget friendly meals developed by dietitians. The Recipes group will continue to grocery shop as normal. The Defaults group will have their online shopping carts pre-filled with the study recipe ingredients. They will be told their cart has been filled with those items that could be used to make the healthful recipes on the recipe cards given to them. They may modify their carts as they choose. It is hypothesized that the Defaults group will have weekly grocery purchases with greater nutritional quality and lower energy content, compared to the Recipes group. It is hypothesized that the Defaults group will also have a home food environment with a greater nutritional quality score than the Recipes (via the Healthy Eating Index). Dietary intake of parents and children in the Defaults group will also have a higher nutritional quality, compared to the Recipes group, as indicated by food photography during 3 dinner meals during the intervention period.

Conditions

Obesity

Study Design

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

Study Groups

Group 1 - Recipes

Participants will receive healthy recipes (3 main meal + 1 snack/breakfast/lunch recipe per week of the two-week intervention).

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Group 2 - Default

Participants will receive healthy recipes (3 main meal + 1 snack/breakfast/lunch recipe per week of the two-week intervention). In addition, in this group, participants' online grocery shopping carts will be pre-filled with ingredients corresponding to the provided recipes. They will be told that their cart has been filled with items that can be used to make recipes from the provided recipe cards, and that they can modify it as they like.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Defaults

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive healthy recipes (3 main meal + 1 snack/breakfast/lunch recipe per week of the two-week intervention). In addition, in this group, participants' online grocery shopping carts will be pre-filled with ingredients corresponding to the provided recipes. They will be told that their cart has been filled with items that can be used to make recipes from the provided recipe cards, and that they can modify it as they like.

Interventions

Defaults

Participants will receive healthy recipes (3 main meal + 1 snack/breakfast/lunch recipe per week of the two-week intervention). In addition, in this group, participants' online grocery shopping carts will be pre-filled with ingredients corresponding to the provided recipes. They will be told that their cart has been filled with items that can be used to make recipes from the provided recipe cards, and that they can modify it as they like.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Participating parent/guardian must be at least 18 years old
• Must have a 2-to-5-year-old child in the household
• Must grocery shop online (via Instacart) from Tops, Wegmans, and/or Aldi stores at least 75% of the time
• Child must have at least one parent/guardian meeting criteria for overweight/obesity (BMI >25)
• Must speak English

Exclusion Criteria

• Parent/guardian is under 18 years of age
• Does not have at least one 2-to-5-year-old child living in the household
• Does not shop online at Tops, Wegmans, and/or Aldi stores at least 75% of the time
• Child does not have at least one parent/guardian meeting criteria for overweight/obesity
• Does not speak English
• Has dietary restrictions or preferences that would not allow them to reasonably partake in the study (i.e., they would not be willing or able to buy/eat many of the staple foods included in default carts/recipe cards)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

State University of New York at Buffalo

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Mackenzie J Ferrante

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University at Buffalo

Mackenzie J Ferrante, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University at Buffalo

Locations

State University of New York at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

STUDY00007317

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id