Purpose: The overall purpose of this study is to identify the impacts of an ultra-processed (UPF) health warning label and UPF identify warning label compared to a control label (i.e., a barcode). Participants: \~4,000 US Latino adults of parental age (18-55 years), approximately 50% of whom will have limited English proficiency, recruited from a Latino-focused panel company. Procedures: Participants will be randomly assigned to view food products with one of three label types: health warning labels, identity labels, or barcode control labels. Participants will be asked a series of questions about the products and the label they were assigned.
On the study platform (Qualtrics), participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 arms with equal probability: a UPF health warning label, a UPF identity label, or a barcode control label. Participants will view four products (a fruit-flavored drink, pretzels, a yogurt, and a breakfast cereal) displayed in random order, each with a label displayed on the front of package according to the participants' study arm. Participants will complete a 13-item online survey to assess each product as to a) whether the product is ultra-processed; b) perceptions of healthfulness; c) intentions to purchase the product.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
4,000
Message displayed on warning label is: "WARNING: Consuming ultra-processed food and drinks can cause weight gain, which increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes."
Message displayed on warning label is: "WARNING: Ultra-processed food".
Barcode is displayed.
UNC Carolina Population Center
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Identification of a product as ultra-processed
Correct identification of a product as ultra-processed. Measured with the question, "Do you think this product is ultra-processed?" Response options are Yes, No, and I'm not sure.
Time frame: Immediately after exposure to intervention, assessed during 1-time online study visit.
Perceived product healthfulness of ultra-processed products
Measured with the question, "How good or bad for your health would it be to consume this product every day?" Likert responses are on a 1 to 5 scale, from "Very bad" (coded as 1) to "Very good" (coded as 5), with higher scores representing a higher perceived healthfulness.
Time frame: Immediately after exposure to intervention, assessed during 1-time online study visit.
Intentions to purchase ultra-processed products
Measured with the question, "How likely would you be to purchase this product in the next week, if it were available?" Likert responses are on a 1 to 5 scale, from "Not at all likely" (coded as 1) to "Extremely likely" (coded as 5), with higher scores representing a higher intention to purchase ultra-processed products.
Time frame: Immediately after exposure to intervention, assessed during 1-time online study visit.
Perceived message effectiveness
Measured with the question, "How much does this message discourage you from wanting to consume an ultra-processed food or drink?" Likert responses are on a 1 to 5 scale, from "Not at all" (coded as 1) to "Very much" (coded as 5), with higher scores representing a higher perceived message effectiveness.
Time frame: Immediately after exposure to intervention, assessed during 1-time online study visit.
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