Musicus Aviva A, Hua Sophia V, Schwartz Marlene B, Block Jason P, Barg Frances K, Economos Christina D, Glanz Karen, Krieger James W, Roberto Christina A
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Am J Prev Med. 2021 May;60(5):674-683. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.11.012. Epub 2021 Feb 23.
Calorie labeling is now required on all large U.S. chain restaurant menus, but its influence on consumer behavior is mixed. This study examines whether different parent-targeted messages encourage parents to order lower-calorie meals for their children in a hypothetical online setting.
An online RCT was conducted with sociodemographically diverse primary caregivers of children aged 6-12 years (data collected and analyzed in 2017-2019). Participants (N=2,373) were randomized to see 1 of 4 messages: (1) nonfood control, (2) kids' meals are the right size for children, (3) doctors recommend a 600 kcal per meal limit for kids, or (4) 600 kcal per meal is a generally recommended limit for kids. Participants ordered hypothetical meals for their children and themselves and rated meal and message perceptions.
There were no significant differences between conditions in calories ordered for children at either restaurant, although all 3 food message conditions ordered fewer calories for their children than the control (full service: 27-68 fewer kcal, fast food: 18-64 fewer kcal). The general 600 kcal/meal limit message consistently performed best across outcomes, encouraging parents to order the fewest calories for their children at both restaurants (5%-7% fewer) and significantly increasing their understanding of calorie recommendations for kids' meals. It also significantly reduced fast-food calories parents ordered for themselves compared with the control (-106 kcal, p=0.042).
Although no statistically significant differences were detected, messages with specific calorie recommendations for kids led parents to order lower-calorie restaurant meals for their children, suggesting that additional real-world studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.
美国现在要求所有大型连锁餐厅的菜单上都要标明卡路里含量，但其对消费者行为的影响喜忧参半。本研究探讨了不同的针对家长的信息是否会促使家长在虚拟的在线环境中为孩子订购低卡路里的餐食。
对年龄在6至12岁儿童的社会人口统计学特征各异的主要照料者进行了一项在线随机对照试验（数据于2017年至2019年收集和分析）。参与者（N = 2373）被随机分配观看以下4种信息中的一种：（1）非食物对照信息；（2）儿童餐的量对孩子来说正合适；（3）医生建议孩子每餐热量限制为600千卡；或（4）一般建议孩子每餐摄入600千卡热量。参与者为自己和孩子订购虚拟餐食，并对餐食和信息认知进行评分。
两家餐厅为孩子订购的卡路里量在不同信息组之间均无显著差异，不过所有三种食物信息组为孩子订购的卡路里量都比对照组少（全套服务餐厅：少27 - 68千卡，快餐店：少18 - 64千卡）。一般的每餐600千卡热量限制信息在各项结果中始终表现最佳，促使家长在两家餐厅为孩子订购的卡路里量最少（少5% - 7%），并显著提高了他们对儿童餐卡路里建议的理解。与对照组相比，它还显著减少了家长为自己订购的快餐卡路里量（少106千卡，p = 0.042）。
尽管未检测到统计学上的显著差异，但针对孩子的特定卡路里建议信息促使家长为孩子订购卡路里含量较低的餐厅餐食，这表明有必要进行更多样本量更大的实际研究。
