Abstract
Objective To test an obesity prevention strategy derived from behavioural economics (optimal defaults plus delay), focused on changing the college dining hall service method.Design After a uniform pre-load, participants attended an experimental lunch in groups randomized to one of three conditions: a nutrient-dense, lower-fat/energy lunch as an optimal default (OD); a less-nutrient-dense, higher-fat/energy lunch as a suboptimal default (SD); or a free array (FA) lunch. In the OD condition, students were presented a menu depicting healthier vegetarian and omnivore foods as default, with opt-out alternatives (SD menu) available on request with a 15 min wait. In the SD condition, the same menu format was used with the positioning of food items switched. In the FA condition, all choices were presented in uniform fonts and were available immediately.Setting Private rooms designed to provide a small version of a college dining hall, on two campuses of a Northeastern US university.Subjects First-year college students (n 129).Results There was a significant main effect for condition on percentage of optimal choices selected, with 94 % of food choices in the OD condition optimal, 47 % in the FA condition optimal and none in the SD condition optimal. Similarly, energy intake for those in the SD condition significantly exceeded that in the FA condition, which exceeded that in the OD condition.Conclusions Presenting menu items as optimal defaults with a delay had a significant impact on choice and consumption, suggesting that further research into its long-term applicability is warranted.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1359-1369 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Public Health Nutrition |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2018 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Nutrition and Dietetics
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
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Effect of default menus on food selection and consumption in a college dining hall simulation study. / Radnitz, Cynthia; Loeb, Katharine L.; Keller, Kathleen L.; Boutelle, Kerri; Schwartz, Marlene B.; Todd, Lauren; Marcus, Sue.
In: Public Health Nutrition, Vol. 21, No. 7, 01.05.2018, p. 1359-1369.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of default menus on food selection and consumption in a college dining hall simulation study
AU - Radnitz, Cynthia
AU - Loeb, Katharine L.
AU - Keller, Kathleen L.
AU - Boutelle, Kerri
AU - Schwartz, Marlene B.
AU - Todd, Lauren
AU - Marcus, Sue
PY - 2018/5/1
Y1 - 2018/5/1
N2 - Objective To test an obesity prevention strategy derived from behavioural economics (optimal defaults plus delay), focused on changing the college dining hall service method.Design After a uniform pre-load, participants attended an experimental lunch in groups randomized to one of three conditions: a nutrient-dense, lower-fat/energy lunch as an optimal default (OD); a less-nutrient-dense, higher-fat/energy lunch as a suboptimal default (SD); or a free array (FA) lunch. In the OD condition, students were presented a menu depicting healthier vegetarian and omnivore foods as default, with opt-out alternatives (SD menu) available on request with a 15 min wait. In the SD condition, the same menu format was used with the positioning of food items switched. In the FA condition, all choices were presented in uniform fonts and were available immediately.Setting Private rooms designed to provide a small version of a college dining hall, on two campuses of a Northeastern US university.Subjects First-year college students (n 129).Results There was a significant main effect for condition on percentage of optimal choices selected, with 94 % of food choices in the OD condition optimal, 47 % in the FA condition optimal and none in the SD condition optimal. Similarly, energy intake for those in the SD condition significantly exceeded that in the FA condition, which exceeded that in the OD condition.Conclusions Presenting menu items as optimal defaults with a delay had a significant impact on choice and consumption, suggesting that further research into its long-term applicability is warranted.
AB - Objective To test an obesity prevention strategy derived from behavioural economics (optimal defaults plus delay), focused on changing the college dining hall service method.Design After a uniform pre-load, participants attended an experimental lunch in groups randomized to one of three conditions: a nutrient-dense, lower-fat/energy lunch as an optimal default (OD); a less-nutrient-dense, higher-fat/energy lunch as a suboptimal default (SD); or a free array (FA) lunch. In the OD condition, students were presented a menu depicting healthier vegetarian and omnivore foods as default, with opt-out alternatives (SD menu) available on request with a 15 min wait. In the SD condition, the same menu format was used with the positioning of food items switched. In the FA condition, all choices were presented in uniform fonts and were available immediately.Setting Private rooms designed to provide a small version of a college dining hall, on two campuses of a Northeastern US university.Subjects First-year college students (n 129).Results There was a significant main effect for condition on percentage of optimal choices selected, with 94 % of food choices in the OD condition optimal, 47 % in the FA condition optimal and none in the SD condition optimal. Similarly, energy intake for those in the SD condition significantly exceeded that in the FA condition, which exceeded that in the OD condition.Conclusions Presenting menu items as optimal defaults with a delay had a significant impact on choice and consumption, suggesting that further research into its long-term applicability is warranted.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045203254&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85045203254&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1368980017004220
DO - 10.1017/S1368980017004220
M3 - Article
C2 - 29409556
AN - SCOPUS:85045203254
VL - 21
SP - 1359
EP - 1369
JO - Public Health Nutrition
JF - Public Health Nutrition
SN - 1368-9800
IS - 7
ER -