Dataset Information

Effectiveness of Displaying Traffic Light Food Labels on the Front of Food Packages in Japanese University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT: Nutrition labeling on the front of food packages has been implemented worldwide to help improve public health awareness. In this randomized double-blind controlled trial, we used a Google Forms questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition labeling on food packages in university students. The questionnaire, ultimately completed by 247 students, included 15 dietary images from which they were asked to choose what they wanted to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the following day. For the interventional (traffic light food [TLF]) group only, TLF labels were displayed on dietary images. This group had a significantly higher proportion of people conscious of healthy eating during all meals than the control group, and the effect of TLF labeling on choosing meals was the highest for lunch. In addition to the indicated nutritional components, the TLF group had a significantly higher proportion of people who were conscious of the ones of protein and dietary fiber that were not indicated on the label. The use of TLF labels resulted in an increase in the proportion of people choosing a healthy diet as well as being conscious of their nutritional components. Therefore, the use of TLF labels may help promote healthy dietary choices in Japan.

SUBMITTER: Wakui N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9914024 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effectiveness of Displaying Traffic Light Food Labels on the Front of Food Packages in Japanese University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Wakui Nobuyuki N Matsuoka Raini R Togawa Chikako C Ichikawa Kotoha K Kagi Hinako H Watanabe Mai M Ikarashi Nobutomo N Yamamura Miho M Shirozu Shunsuke S Machida Yoshiaki Y

International journal of environmental research and public health 20230118 3

Nutrition labeling on the front of food packages has been implemented worldwide to help improve public health awareness. In this randomized double-blind controlled trial, we used a Google Forms questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition labeling on food packages in university students. The questionnaire, ultimately completed by 247 students, included 15 dietary images from which they were asked to choose what they wanted to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the following day. Fo ...[more]

PMID: 36767176

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Project description:Background Childhood obesity is a public health challenge in many countries. Food labelling may help children make healthier food choices. Food is typically labelled using the traffic light label system but this is complex to understand. Physical activity calorie equivalent (PACE) labelling may be easier for children to understand and more appealing because it contextualises the energy content of food/drinks. Methods A cross-sectional online questionnaire was completed by 808 adolescents aged 12–18 years in England. The questionnaire investigated participants’ views and understanding of traffic light and PACE labels. Participants were also asked about their understanding of the meaning of calories. The questionnaire explored participants’ views about the potential frequency of use of PACE labels and their perceived usefulness in influencing purchasing and consumption decisions. Questions that explored participants’ views about the possible implementation of PACE labelling, preferences for food settings and types of food/drinks they may like such labelling implemented, and whether PACE labels would encourage physical activity were included. Descriptive statistics were explored. Analyses assessed associations between variables and tested differences in the proportions of views about the labels. Results More participants reported PACE labels as easier to understand than traffic light labels (69% vs 31%). Of participants who had seen traffic light labels, 19% looked at them often/always. Forty-two percent of participants would look at PACE labels often/always. The most common reason why participants never/would never look at food labels is because they are not interested in making healthy choices. Fifty-two percent of participants said PACE labels would make it easier for them to choose healthy food and drinks. Fifty percent of participants reported PACE labels would encourage them to be physically active. It was perceived that PACE labels could be useful in a range of food settings and on a range of food/drinks. Conclusions PACE labelling may be easier for young people to understand and more appealing/useful to them than traffic light labelling. PACE labelling may help young people choose healthier food/drinks and reduce excess energy consumption. Research is now needed to understand the impact of PACE labelling on food choice among adolescents in real eating settings. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-16019-6.

Project description:ObjectThe correct use of nutrition labels for prepackaged food helps university students develop healthy eating habits and prevent the occurrence of chronic non-communicable diseases. This study evaluates the understanding and use of nutrition labels of prepackaged food by university students in four different fields of study in Chongqing, China.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used an online survey platform conducted in July 2022 in colleges and universities in Chongqing, China. The convenience sampling method was used to select students in four different fields of study, including medicine, humanities, science and technology, and arts and sports. Ten questions were used to assess participants' understanding of nutrition labels. A score of six or above (60%) indicates that the respondent has a basic understanding of the nutritional labels of prepackaged food. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to assess participants' understanding and use of nutrition labels for prepackaged foods and their influencing factors.ResultsA total of 1262 valid questionnaires was collected. The average age of the participants was 21.8 years (SD: 2.43), 50.1% were male, 80.8% were ethnic Han, and 50.9% were from rural areas. Only 21.3% of the university students in Chongqing had a good understanding of the nutrition labels of prepackaged food, where medical students were the highest (39.9%) and science and engineering students were the lowest (15.6%). Gender, ethnicity, grade, major, and whether received courses related to nutrition were influential factors in the understanding and use of nutrition labels of prepackaged food. Medical students also had more positive attitudes toward nutritional labels of prepackaged food.ConclusionsUnderstanding and use of nutrition labels for prepackaged food by university students in Chongqing are unsatisfactory. Student's major was a significant influencing factor in nutrition label comprehension, with medical students having the greatest understanding. Based on these results, we suggest that nutrition and health courses should be popularized among non-medical students to narrow the differences between different fields of study. For university students in all fields of study, education and publicity of nutrition labels of prepackaged food are needed, not only in the classroom but also in daily life.

Project description:Food systems highly contribute to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and shifting towards more environmentally friendly diets is urgently needed. Enabling consumers to compare the environmental impact of food products at point-of-purchase with front-of-pack labelling could be a promising strategy to trigger more environmentally friendly food choices. This strategy remained to be tested. The effect of a new traffic-light front-of-pack environmental label on food choices was tested in a 2-arm randomised controlled trial in a virtual reality supermarket. Participants (n = 132) chose food products to compose two main meals for an everyday meal scenario and for an environmentally friendly meal scenario with or without the label. The environmental label (ranging from A: green/lowest impact, to E: red/highest impact) was based on the Environmental Footprint (EF) single score calculation across food categories. The effect of the label on the environmental impact of food choices in each scenario was tested using linear mixed models. In the everyday meal scenario, the environmental impact of meals was lower in the label condition than in the no label condition (-0.17 ± 0.07 mPt/kg, p = 0.012). This reduction was observed at no nutritional, financial nor hedonic cost. The effectiveness of the label can be attributed to a change in the food categories chosen: less meat-based and more vegetarian meals were chosen with the label. In the environmentally friendly meal scenario, we demonstrated that the label provided new information to the participants as they were able to further reduce the environmental impact of their food choices with the label (-0.19 ± 0.07 mPt/kg, p = 0.005). Implementing a front-of-pack environmental label on food products in real supermarkets could increase awareness of the environmental impact of food and contribute to drive more environmentally friendly food choices. The study protocol was pre-registered prior to data collection at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04909372).

Dataset Information

Effectiveness of Displaying Traffic Light Food Labels on the Front of Food Packages in Japanese University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Publications

Effectiveness of Displaying Traffic Light Food Labels on the Front of Food Packages in Japanese University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

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