Using Single and Combined Nudge Strategies to Promote Healthier Beverage Intake Among College Students

NCT07625969 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2023 - SR - 052
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The primary objective of this study was to examine whether three nudging strategies influence beverage consumption behavior among Chinese university students. These interventions included health warning messages, hedonic labeling, and a combination of health warning and hedonic labeling. A between-subjects experimental design with a single factor was employed to assess the effects of these strategies on students' choices between sugar-sweetened and sugar-free beverages, thereby evaluating their effectiveness in promoting healthier beverage selections.

Conditions

Obesity; Food Selection

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The proportion (or likelihood) of selecting sugar-free beverages

  The probability of choosing a sugar-free beverage (binary outcome: sugar-sweetened = 0, sugar-free = 1) across five menu-selection tasks.

  day 1

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Participants' Perceived Intrusiveness of Nudges

  day 1

• Participants' Support for Nudges

  day 1

• Participants' Perceived effectiveness of Nudges

  day 1

Study Arms (4)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

In this group, no nudge interventions were implemented, only data were collected.

choice architecture (health warning Information)

EXPERIMENTAL

The platform presented information outlining the potential health risks associated with excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Behavioral: choice architecture

choice architecture (hedonic label Information)

EXPERIMENTAL

Students are exposed to hedonic information about sugar-free beverages on the Wenjuanxing platform to "nudge" students towards healthier choices

Behavioral: choice architecture

choice architecture (hedonic label Information+health warning Information)

EXPERIMENTAL

Students receive both health-risk messages about sugary drinks and hedonic information about sugar-free beverages on the Wenjuanxing platform, combining two nudging strategies to promote healthier choices.

Behavioral: choice architecture

Interventions

choice architecture BEHAVIORAL

Showing the various harms that can come from long-term excessive consumption of sugary beverages on the platform.

choice architecture (health warning Information)

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• college students
• willing to participate

You may not qualify if:

• none

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Nanjing Medical University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Nanjing Medical University

Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210000, China

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity; Food Preferences

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Feeding Behavior; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Yuan He

CONTACT

18651625286; heyuan@njmu.edu.cn

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: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2026
• First Posted: June 4, 2026
• Study Start: May 29, 2026
• Primary Completion: June 9, 2026
• Study Completion: June 10, 2026
• Last Updated: June 4, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Locations

CN (1)