Effects of UPF Warning Labels on Social Media Among Teens and Young Adults

NCT07227519 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 25-10909-NHSR
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate whether Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) warning labels on social media posts improve consumer understanding and influence purchase intentions among teens and young adults. Participants aged 13-29 in the United States will be recruited and randomized into two groups: a control group (no label) and an intervention group (UPF warning). Participants will view social media posts featuring UPFs with or without warning labels and respond to survey questions following each post.

Conditions

Nutrition; Healthy Diet; Food Preferences

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Consumer understanding

  For each social media post, participants will be asked whether they think the product is ultra-processed. Response options will be "yes", "no", or "I don't know". Consumer understanding will be coded as a binary outcome: "yes" = correct; "no" and "I don't know" = incorrect.

  Assessed during one-time 10-minute online study survey

• Purchase intentions

  For each social media post, participants will be asked how likely they would buy the product in the next week, either in-store or online. Response options will be on a 1-5 Likert scale, with 5 being "very likely". Higher scores indicate higher intentions to purchase the product.

  Assessed during one-time 10-minute online study survey

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Perceived healthfulness

  Assessed during one-time 10-minute online study survey

• Perceptions of control over healthy eating

  Assessed during one-time 10-minute online study survey

• Policy support for ultra-processed food warning labels

  Assessed during one-time 10-minute online study survey

Study Arms (2)

UPF Warning Labels

EXPERIMENTAL

UPF warning labels will be placed beneath each social media post. Each label will feature an icon accompanied by explanatory text, using the exact health risk wording proposed in the Childhood Diabetes Reductions Act: "Warning: consuming ultra-processed foods and drinks can cause weight gain, which increases the risk of obesity and type-2 diabetes". All text will be left-aligned. The icon will consist of exclamation marks within a yellow triangle. The warning label will be large and highly visible and enclosed within a bold rectangular border.

Behavioral: UPF Warning Labels

No Label (Control)

OTHER

No label

Behavioral: No Labels (Control)

Interventions

UPF Warning Labels BEHAVIORAL

Participants will view four Instagram posts featuring UPFs, displayed with warning labels

UPF Warning Labels

No Labels (Control) BEHAVIORAL

Participants will view four Instagram posts featuring UPFs, displayed without warning labels

No Label (Control)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 29 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 13-29
• Reside in the US
• Can read and speak English

You may not qualify if:

• Under the age of 13 or over 29
• Reside outside of the United States
• Unable to complete a survey in English

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Tennessee: lead
• Stanford University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

UTHSC Department of Preventive Medicine

Memphis, Tennessee, 38163, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Food Preferences

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Yuru Huang

  University of Tennessee

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Anna Grummon

  Stanford University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Yuru Huang, PhD

CONTACT

901-448-8019; yhuang76@uthsc.edu

Anna Grummon, PhD

CONTACT

650-644-7366; agrummon@stanford.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 10, 2025
• First Posted: November 12, 2025
• Study Start: December 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 20, 2025
• Study Completion: December 20, 2025
• Last Updated: December 2, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Investigators will post IDP within 6 months of publication of manuscripts associated with the data generated in this study.
• Access Criteria: Data and code will be made publicly available.

Locations

US (1)