The goal of this cluster randomized controlled trial was to compare the effects of two single-session interventions (sugar-intensive vs. general health control) on added sugar intake, motivation to reduce sugar consumption, and factual knowledge about added sugar 6 weeks later, in a sample of first-semester undergraduates.
Excessive sugar consumption is recognized as a critical public health concern. For many young adults, the transition to college presents both risk and a promising opportunity to encourage formation of healthy dietary habits. Capitalizing on this window of opportunity, we conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of two single-session interventions on added sugar intake in a sample of first-semester undergraduates. Participants received either an intervention primarily focused on reducing added sugar consumption or a general health behavior intervention with units on physical activity, sleep, and healthy diet. Participants' added sugar intake, motivation to reduce sugar consumption, and factual knowledge about added sugar intake were compared at follow-up.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
702
see arm description
see arm description
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, United States
Change from Baseline Added-Sugar Consumption at 6 Weeks
Change from baseline in consumption of specific high-sugar foods and beverages each day during the week preceding assessment. Using a matrix with days as columns and food/beverage items as rows, participants reported number of servings consumed of each food per day of that week: regular soda/pop/sweet iced tea (12oz), energy drinks (1 can), fully sweetened sports drinks (12oz), sugar-syrup coffee drinks (small = 8-12 oz = 1 serving; med = 1.5 servings; large = 2 servings), mixed drinks/cocktails (1 drink), donut/sweet pastry/danish (1 whole), muffin/cake-type bread slice (1 whole), fresh flavored yogurt (½ cup), cookie/brownie (3 oz), cupcake/slice of cake (1 whole), slice of pie (1 whole), ice cream/frozen yogurt (½ cup), and candy (¼ cup). Servings were multiplied by grams added sugar/serving for each item based on the National Cancer Institute Dietary Health Questionnaire-III, and summed across items to obtain total weekly added sugar.
Time frame: 6 weeks post-intervention
Motivation to reduce added-sugar consumption
"How motivated are you to reduce your added-sugar consumption?" Response options were 1 = Not at all motivated, 2 = A little motivated, 3 = Somewhat motivated, and 4 = Very motivated.
Time frame: 6 weeks post-intervention
Added sugar factual knowledge
Participants' knowledge of factual information regarding added sugar was assessed through three sets of questions. The first set of knowledge checks included eight statements about added sugar that participants marked as true or false (e.g., "Glucose is the primary fuel used by the human body"); the number of correct answers was summed. Second, participants were presented with a list of 12 ingredients (e.g., aspartame, honey, stevia) and asked to report whether each ingredient counts as added sugar; again, number of correct answers was summed. Third, participants were asked to state the maximum grams of added sugar per day recommended by the American Heart Association, separately for women and men, as presented in the intervention.
Time frame: 6 weeks post-intervention
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Change from Baseline Sleep at 6 Weeks
Participants indicated the amount of sleep they got, in hours, for each of the last seven nights. Participants were presented with seven text boxes labeled "7 days ago", "6 days ago" … "Last night," and asked to fill in the number of hours slept for each. Responses were averaged to obtain a single hours/night score.
Time frame: 6 weeks post-intervention
Change from Baseline Exercise at 6 Weeks
Exercise was defined for participants as "any physical activity that gets the heart working much faster, makes you break a sweat, and/or requires a lot of muscle effort." Participants indicated the amount of exercise they got for each of the last seven days; response options for each day were: "none", "15 minutes", "30 minutes", "45 minutes", "60 minutes", and "more than 60 minutes." Responses were averaged to obtain a single minutes/day score.
Time frame: 6 weeks post-intervention