Understanding Food Choices (Aim 2)

NCT05537337 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: MOH-000263 (Aim 2)
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 487
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to use the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) to build and optimize a multicomponent intervention that improves diet quality. The investigators have evaluated the effects of evidence-based public health interventions on consumers' diet quality via a web-based grocery store "NUSMart" as part of Aim 1 of this study. Considering that the goal is to identify promising interventions that may optimize online grocery platforms, the investigators used Aim 1's results to assemble a multicomponent intervention that would significantly affect diet quality: a combination of three behavioral nudges that include food labels \& real-time feedback, ordering, and healthier substitute offers (a subset of the interventions examined in Aim 1). Aim 2 study aims to rigorously evaluate this multicomponent intervention.

Conditions

Diet Quality

Keywords

Multicomponent Intervention; Multiphase Optimization Strategy; Food Labels; Food Repositioning; Within-group Substitutes; Randomized Control Trial (RCT)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Diet Quality

  Diet quality measured by the weighted (by the number of servings) average of all purchased products' Nutri-Score Points for the shopping trip. Nutri-Score Points is an individual dietary index based on the British Food Standard Agency Nutrient Profiling System. Nutri-Score points are calculated by scoring food and beverage products on a scale from -15 (healthiest) to 40 (least healthy) by subtracting the sum of Nutri-Score sub-points for healthier components (e.g., fiber, protein, percentage of fruits \& vegetables) from the sum of Nutri-Score sub-points for less healthy components (e.g., energy, sugar, sodium, saturated fat). The final non-numeric grade, A to E, is determined based on carefully designed thresholds for these resulting Nutri-Score Points.

  After completion of data collection, an average of about 14 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Nutrients per serving

  After completion of data collection, an average of about 14 months

• Proportion of products for each Nutri-Traffic-Light (NTL) classification

  After completion of data collection, an average of about 14 months

Other Outcomes (1)

• Mediators, Moderators and Covariates

  After completion of data collection, an average of about 14 months

Study Arms (2)

Arm 1 (Control Arm)

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will experience an unmodified version of NUSMart that is designed to replicate the traditional shopping experience of any online grocery shopping platform with details such as item description, brand, price, image, nutritional information etc.

Arm 2 (Multicomponent Intervention Arm)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will experience a modified version of NUSMart with the multicomponent intervention enabled. This intervention consists of a subset of the combined interventions tested in Aim 1 namely, 1. Food labels (with the summary of healthiness of shopping baskets \& targets), 2. Ordering and 3. Within Group Healthier Substitution.

Behavioral: Multicomponent Intervention

Interventions

Multicomponent Intervention BEHAVIORAL

The multicomponent intervention consists of the following components (already described in the detailed description section): 1. Food labels (with the summary of healthiness of shopping baskets \& targets) 2. Ordering 3. Within Group Healthier Substitution

Arm 2 (Multicomponent Intervention Arm)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Singapore resident
• Age 21 and above
• Must be the primary weekly grocery shopper in their household

You may not qualify if:

• Non-Singapore resident
• Less than 21 years old
• Non-primary grocery shopper in their household

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School: lead

Study Sites (1)

Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Singapore, Singapore

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Shin S, Xiaoxi Y, Chakraborty B, Finkelstein EA. A Randomized Trial Using an Online Grocery Store to Evaluate a Multicomponent Digital Intervention to Improve Diet Quality. Am J Prev Med. 2025 Jul;69(1):107622. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2025.03.002. Epub 2025 Mar 20.

  PMID: 40120994 DERIVED

Study Officials

• Eric A Finkelstein, PhD MHA

  Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 8, 2022
• First Posted: September 13, 2022
• Study Start: January 3, 2023
• Primary Completion: October 16, 2023
• Study Completion: October 16, 2023
• Last Updated: July 31, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-07

Locations

SG (1)