Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection: A randomised laboratory experiment
<strong>Background</strong> Environmental cues shape behaviour, but few studies compare the impact of targeting healthier vs. less-healthy cues. One online study suggested greater impact on selection from increasing the number of less-healthy (vs. healthier) snacks. The current study aim...
| Auteurs principaux: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Langue: | English |
| Publié: |
BMC
2021
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| _version_ | 1826282456141004800 |
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| author | Pechey, R Sexton, O Codling, S Marteau, TM |
| author_facet | Pechey, R Sexton, O Codling, S Marteau, TM |
| author_sort | Pechey, R |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <strong>Background</strong> Environmental cues shape behaviour, but few studies compare the impact of targeting healthier vs. less-healthy cues. One online study suggested greater impact on selection from increasing the number of less-healthy (vs. healthier) snacks. The current study aimed to: (1) extend the previous study by using physically-present snacks for immediate consumption; (2) explore responsiveness by socio-economic position; (3) investigate possible mediators (response inhibition, food appeal) of any socio-economic differences in selection.
<strong>Methods</strong> In a between-subjects laboratory experiment UK adults (n=417) were randomised according to their ID number (without blinding) to one of three ranges of options: Two healthier, two less-healthy [“Equal”] (n=136); Six healthier, two less-healthy [“Increased Healthier”] (n=143); Two healthier, six less-healthy [“Increased Less-Healthy”] (n=138). Participants completed measures of response inhibition and food appeal, and selected a snack for immediate consumption from their allocated range. The primary outcome was selection of a healthier (over less-healthy) snack.
<strong>Results</strong> The odds of selecting a less-healthy snack were 2.9 times higher (95%CIs:1.7,5.1) in the Increased Less-Healthy condition compared to the Equal condition. The odds of selecting a healthier snack were 2.5 times higher (95%CIs:1.5,4.1) in the Increased Healthier (vs. Equal) condition. There was no significant difference in the size of these effects (-0.2; 95%CIs:-1.1,0.7). Findings were inconclusive with regard to interactions by education, but the direction of effects was consistent with potentially larger impact of the Increased Less-Healthy condition on selection for less-educated participants, and potentially larger impact of the Increased Healthier condition for higher-educated participants.
<strong>Conclusions</strong> A greater impact from increasing the number of less-healthy (over healthier) foods was not replicated when selecting snacks for immediate consumption: both increased selections of the targeted foods with no evidence of a difference in effectiveness. The observed pattern of results suggested possible differential impact by education, albeit not statistically significant. If replicated in larger studies, this could suggest that removing less-healthy options has the potential to reduce health inequalities due to unhealthier diets. Conversely, adding healthier options could have the potential to increase these inequalities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:44:08Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:8409a9c1-9f75-4134-b2bc-dbfd4eb1913a |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:44:08Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:8409a9c1-9f75-4134-b2bc-dbfd4eb1913a2022-03-26T21:48:27ZImpact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection: A randomised laboratory experimentJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:8409a9c1-9f75-4134-b2bc-dbfd4eb1913aEnglishSymplectic ElementsBMC2021Pechey, RSexton, OCodling, SMarteau, TM<strong>Background</strong> Environmental cues shape behaviour, but few studies compare the impact of targeting healthier vs. less-healthy cues. One online study suggested greater impact on selection from increasing the number of less-healthy (vs. healthier) snacks. The current study aimed to: (1) extend the previous study by using physically-present snacks for immediate consumption; (2) explore responsiveness by socio-economic position; (3) investigate possible mediators (response inhibition, food appeal) of any socio-economic differences in selection. <strong>Methods</strong> In a between-subjects laboratory experiment UK adults (n=417) were randomised according to their ID number (without blinding) to one of three ranges of options: Two healthier, two less-healthy [“Equal”] (n=136); Six healthier, two less-healthy [“Increased Healthier”] (n=143); Two healthier, six less-healthy [“Increased Less-Healthy”] (n=138). Participants completed measures of response inhibition and food appeal, and selected a snack for immediate consumption from their allocated range. The primary outcome was selection of a healthier (over less-healthy) snack. <strong>Results</strong> The odds of selecting a less-healthy snack were 2.9 times higher (95%CIs:1.7,5.1) in the Increased Less-Healthy condition compared to the Equal condition. The odds of selecting a healthier snack were 2.5 times higher (95%CIs:1.5,4.1) in the Increased Healthier (vs. Equal) condition. There was no significant difference in the size of these effects (-0.2; 95%CIs:-1.1,0.7). Findings were inconclusive with regard to interactions by education, but the direction of effects was consistent with potentially larger impact of the Increased Less-Healthy condition on selection for less-educated participants, and potentially larger impact of the Increased Healthier condition for higher-educated participants. <strong>Conclusions</strong> A greater impact from increasing the number of less-healthy (over healthier) foods was not replicated when selecting snacks for immediate consumption: both increased selections of the targeted foods with no evidence of a difference in effectiveness. The observed pattern of results suggested possible differential impact by education, albeit not statistically significant. If replicated in larger studies, this could suggest that removing less-healthy options has the potential to reduce health inequalities due to unhealthier diets. Conversely, adding healthier options could have the potential to increase these inequalities. |
| spellingShingle | Pechey, R Sexton, O Codling, S Marteau, TM Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection: A randomised laboratory experiment |
| title | Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection: A randomised laboratory experiment |
| title_full | Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection: A randomised laboratory experiment |
| title_fullStr | Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection: A randomised laboratory experiment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection: A randomised laboratory experiment |
| title_short | Impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs. less-healthy food on food selection: A randomised laboratory experiment |
| title_sort | impact of increasing the availability of healthier vs less healthy food on food selection a randomised laboratory experiment |
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