Rebecca Wyse1,2,3,4, Gnel Gabrielyan5, Luke Wolfenden1,2,3,4, Serene Yoong1,2,3,4, Jeffrey Swigert5, Tessa Delaney1,2,3,4, Christophe Lecathelinais3, Jia Ying Ooi1,2,3,4, Jess Pinfold3, David Just5. 1. The School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia. 2. Priority Research Center for Health Behavior, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia. 3. Hunter New England Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, New South Wales, Australia. 4. Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. 5. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Manipulating the position of food items within the physical food environment has consistently been found to influence item selection. However, the extent to which this strategy is effective in an online food environment is unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether an intervention to position fruit and vegetable snack items as the first and last menu items in an online school canteen ordering system increased the selection of those items. It was hypothesized that at follow-up, a higher proportion of online lunch orders in intervention schools would contain the target items (fruit and vegetable snacks) in comparison to control schools. DESIGN:Six primary schools in New South Wales, Australia, were recruited to a clustered randomized controlled trial conducted over an 8-wk period. Intervention schools received a redesigned menu where the target items were positioned first and last on the online menu. Control schools received no change to their online menu. RESULTS: During the baseline period 1938 students (1203 intervention, 735 control) placed at least one online lunch order and were included in the study, with 16,109 orders placed throughout the study. There was no significant difference between groups over time in the proportion of orders that contained a "Fruit and Veggie Snack" item (OR = 1.136 [95% CI: 0.791, 1.632] P = 0.490). CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from this large trial with robust study design and objectively collected data suggests that positioning fruit and vegetable snack items first and last within an online canteen menu does not increase the selection of these items. Further research is warranted to confirm this finding with other target menu items (e.g., treats) and across other purchasing contexts and online food ordering platforms. This trial was registered at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, http://www.anzctr.org.au/ as ACTRN12616001520426.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Manipulating the position of food items within the physical food environment has consistently been found to influence item selection. However, the extent to which this strategy is effective in an online food environment is unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether an intervention to position fruit and vegetable snack items as the first and last menu items in an online school canteen ordering system increased the selection of those items. It was hypothesized that at follow-up, a higher proportion of online lunch orders in intervention schools would contain the target items (fruit and vegetable snacks) in comparison to control schools. DESIGN: Six primary schools in New South Wales, Australia, were recruited to a clustered randomized controlled trial conducted over an 8-wk period. Intervention schools received a redesigned menu where the target items were positioned first and last on the online menu. Control schools received no change to their online menu. RESULTS: During the baseline period 1938 students (1203 intervention, 735 control) placed at least one online lunch order and were included in the study, with 16,109 orders placed throughout the study. There was no significant difference between groups over time in the proportion of orders that contained a "Fruit and Veggie Snack" item (OR = 1.136 [95% CI: 0.791, 1.632] P = 0.490). CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from this large trial with robust study design and objectively collected data suggests that positioning fruit and vegetable snack items first and last within an online canteen menu does not increase the selection of these items. Further research is warranted to confirm this finding with other target menu items (e.g., treats) and across other purchasing contexts and online food ordering platforms. This trial was registered at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, http://www.anzctr.org.au/ as ACTRN12616001520426.
Authors: Dimitrios A Koutoukidis; Susan A Jebb; José M Ordóñez-Mena; Michaela Noreik; Melina Tsiountsioura; Sarah Kennedy; Sarah Payne-Riches; Paul Aveyard; Carmen Piernas Journal: Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act Date: 2019-06-07 Impact factor: 6.457
Authors: Astrid A M Poelman; Shadia Djakovic; Jessica E Heffernan; Maeva Cochet-Broch; Rebecca K Golley; David N Cox; Janne Beelen Journal: Nutrients Date: 2022-10-10 Impact factor: 6.706
Authors: Rebecca Wyse; Jacklyn Kay Jackson; Tessa Delaney; Alice Grady; Fiona Stacey; Luke Wolfenden; Courtney Barnes; Matthew McLaughlin; Sze Lin Yoong Journal: Nutrients Date: 2021-06-30 Impact factor: 5.717