Impact of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Health Warnings

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Dietary Habits

In brief

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) like sodas, sports drinks, and fruit drinks remains a pressing public health concern in the United States. Consumption of SSBs remains well above recommended levels, and has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In response, policymakers across the U.S. have proposed requiring warning messages on SSB containers to inform the public and reduce consumption to healthier levels. While online studies find that such warnings reduce intentions to purchase SSBs, no studies have yet examined the impact of warnings on actual consumer behavior. The purpose of this randomized trial is to determine whether health warnings on sugar-sweetened beverages are more effective than control labels at reducing purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages. The trial will take place in a mock convenience store. Participants will be randomly assigned to a health warnings arm in which all sugar-sweetened beverages in the store are labeled with a health warning, or to a control arm in which all sugar-sweetened beverages in the store are labeled with a neutral label. Participants will select items to purchase with cash, and purchases will be compared across trial arms.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03511937

Run by

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

People needed

400

Starts

2018-05-11

Expected to finish

2018-09-19

Last updated by the study team

2021-03-30

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age 18 years or older
• Consume at least 12oz/week of sugar-sweetened beverages during the past month
• Be able to read and speak English

You may not qualify if…

• Under the age of 18 years
• Consume less than 12 ounces/week of sugar-sweetened beverages during the past month
• Unable to read or speak English

Where it is running

• University of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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