Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39289766›Full record

Trial reportThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2024

Do calorie labels change energy purchased in a simulated online food delivery platform? A multi-arm randomised controlled trial.

Madison Luick, Filippo Bianchi, Francis Bain, Lauren Bandy, Parita Doshi, Darren Hilliard, Jovita Leung, Abigail Mottershaw, Bobby Stuijfzand, Jordan Whitwell-Mak and 3 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Madison Luick *Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. madison.luick@phc.ox.ac.uk.
Filippo Bianchi *Behavioural Insights Team, London, UK. filippo.bianchi@nesta.org.uk.
Francis BainNesta, London, UK.
Lauren BandyNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Parita DoshiNesta, London, UK.
Darren HilliardNesta, London, UK.
Jovita LeungBehavioural Insights Team, London, UK.
Abigail MottershawBehavioural Insights Team, London, UK.
Bobby StuijfzandBehavioural Insights Team, London, UK.
Jordan Whitwell-MakBehavioural Insights Team, London, UK.
Susan A JebbNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Hugo Harper *Behavioural Insights Team, London, UK.
Rachel Pechey *Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6558-388X

Funding

National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley n/aNESTA n/aNIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre n/aNIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre n/aWellcome TrustWellcome Trust 222566/Z/21/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAs rates of obesity and overweight continue to increase in the UK, calorie labels have been introduced on menus as a policy option to provide information to consumers on the energy content of foods and to enable informed choices. This study tested whether the addition of calorie labels to items in a simulated food delivery platform may reduce the energy content of items selected.

methodsUK adults (n = 8,780) who used food delivery platforms were asked to use the simulated platform as they would in real life to order a meal for themselves. Participants were randomly allocated to a control condition (no calorie labels) or to one of seven intervention groups: (1) large size calorie labels adjacent to the price (LP), (2) large size label adjacent to the product name (LN), (3) small label adjacent to price (SP), (4) small label adjacent to product name (SN), (5) LP with a calorie label switch-off filter (LP + Off), (6) LP with a switch-on filter (LP + On), or, (7) LP with a summary label of the total basket energy content (LP + Sum). Regression analysis assessed the impact of calorie labels on energy content of foods selected compared to the control condition.

resultsThe mean energy selected in the control condition was 1408 kcal (95%CI: 93, 2719). There was a statistically significant reduction in mean energy selected in five of the seven intervention trial arms (LN labels (-60 kcal, 95%CI: -111, -6), SN (-73, 95%CI: -125, -19), LP + Off (-110, 95%CI: -161, -57), LP + On (-109, 95%CI: -159, -57), LP + Sum (-85 kcal, 95%CI: -137, -30). There was no evidence the other two conditions (LP (-33, 95%CI: -88, 24) and SP (-52, 95%CI: -105, 2)) differed from control. There was no evidence of an effect of any intervention when the analysis was restricted to participants who were overweight or obese.

conclusionAdding calorie labels to food items in a simulated online food delivery platform reduced the energy content of foods selected in five out of seven labelling scenarios. This study provides useful information to inform the implementation of these labels in a food delivery platform context.

Indexed as

Energy IntakeFood LabelingFood PreferencesAdultChoice BehaviorConsumer BehaviorFemaleHumansMaleMealsMiddle AgedObesityUnited KingdomYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID39289766
PMCPMC11406871

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.