Evaluate the Effectiveness of Taxes on UnhealthyNCT04654780
Study of Purchasing Decisions and Food Consumption: Chile
A study testing Taxes and Subsidies in people with Evaluate the Effectiveness of Taxes on Unhealthy and Evaluate the Effectiveness Subsidies for Healthy Foods, run by Universidad Mayor at 1 site in Chile.
Trial summary
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of taxes on unhealthy foods and subsidies for healthy foods in modifying the purchasing and consumption behavior of people in the Metropolitan Region, Chile. Research hypothesis: 1. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Evaluate the Effectiveness of Taxes on Unhealthy, Evaluate the Effectiveness Subsidies for Healthy Foods
- What is being tested?
- Taxes and Subsidies
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 360 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChile
- Study dates
- 5 Nov 2020to 13 Jan 2021
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Over 18 years of age.
- Person responsible for household purchases.
- Living in a household with one or more boys or girls between 2-14 years of age
Who cannot join
- That in the home there are no dietary restrictions that prevent the development of this research such as eating disorders, food allergies
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Chile1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Carolina Gamboa Vidal
Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan
Carolina G Vidal, 223281749 ext. 223281749, carolina.vidal@umayor.cl
Patrica M Caro, 223281749 ext. 223281749, patricia.caro@umayor.cl
About this study
Official title: Do Taxes on Unhealthy Foods and Subsidies on Healthy Foods Work in Chile ?: Study of Purchasing Decisions and Food Consumption
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of taxes on unhealthy foods and subsidies for healthy foods in modifying the purchasing and consumption behavior of people in the Metropolitan Region, Chile.
Research hypothesis:
Read more
- The application of a tax that increases the price of "High in" foods by 20% will reduce the purchase and consumption of these foods by 24%.
- The application of a subsidy that reduces the price of fruits and vegetables by 20% will increase the purchase and consumption of these foods by 17%.
- People of lower socioeconomic status are more sensitive to price changes than people of higher socioeconomic status.
Methodological design. The research proposal proposes an experimental design that will select the participants from a panel composed of people over 18 years of age, men and women, and of all socioeconomic levels. The methodological design considers a random assignment of the people eligible for the study into 3 groups:
- First group of intervention (GI1): people who will make their purchases with taxes on food and beverages "High in";
- Second intervention group (GI2): people who will make their purchases with subsidies for fruits and vegetables;
- Control group (CG) that will make the purchases with the market prices or currently applied by the supermarkets or purchase scenarios.
Methodology. Participants will make a monthly simulated purchase through a simulated supermarket system with products similar to those found in real supermarkets, including "High in" products and fruits and vegetables. Different prices will be applied to each group depending on the type of food. With the data of simulated purchases, a variation of the demand and by socioeconomic subgroup will be calculated. The results will be compared with the control group.
Expected results. GI1 participants are expected to modify their purchase intention with the "High in" food tax, decreasing the purchase of these products in their simulated purchases, compared to CG participants who will make their simulated purchases without taxes. Likewise, IG2 participants are expected to modify their purchase intention with the fruit and vegetable subsidy, increasing the purchase of these foods, compared to CG participants. Finally, it is assumed that the reduction in simulated purchases of "High in" foods and the increase in simulated purchases of fruits and vegetables vary according to socioeconomic level.
- Conditions
- Evaluate the Effectiveness of Taxes on Unhealthy, Evaluate the Effectiveness Subsidies for Healthy Foods
- Being tested
- Taxes, Subsidies, Control
- Keywords
- subsidies, taxes, Nutrition policy, Health policy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
TaxesBehavioural
a "High in" food tax will be applied to study changes in purchasing and consumption behavior of participants in this group. The tax will correspond to a 20% increase over the market price, that is, a tax that reaches the levels recommended by the WHO.
SubsidiesBehavioural
A subsidy will be applied to fruits and vegetables that means a reduction of 20% in their price, to study the changes in purchasing behavior and of the participants of said group.
ControlBehavioural
Average or current food prices will apply. Based on the average of the values reported by three supermarkets
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| tax on purchases | Experimental | exposed to high-price purchases of "high in" foods, including sugary drinks. Receives: Behavioral: Taxes |
| subsidies on purchases | Experimental | exposed to purchases with prices that consider subsidies in fruits and vegetables. Receives: Behavioral: Subsidies |
| Control | Placebo comparator | It will not be subjected to any intervention and therefore will buy with current or market prices. Receives: Behavioral: Control |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
healthiness of the total shopping
percent of total unit food items defined as healthy
Measured: one measurement per participant (requested to purchase food for 15 days)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Dec 2020
- Study start5 Nov 2020
- Primary completion5 Jan 2021 (estimated)
- Study completion13 Jan 2021 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Evaluate the Effectiveness of Taxes on UnhealthyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Experimental design that simulates real purchase scenarios to evaluate the effects of a fiscal policy on purchase intention. Participants will be randomly assigned to the different intervention and control groups. Each participant must make a purchase in the virtual supermarket. The study groups used in this research : 1. First intervention group (IG1), a "High in" food tax will be applied to study the changes in the purchasing and consumption behavior of the participants in this group. The tax will correspond to a 20% increase over the market price, that is, a tax that reaches the levels recommended by the WHO. 2. second intervention group (IG2), a subsidy will be applied to fruits and vegetables that means a reduction of 20% in their price, to study the changes in the purchasing and consumption behavior of the participants of said group. 3. control group (CG) the market or current prices of "High in" foods and subsidies of fruits and vegetables will be applied.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 360 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Universidad Mayor
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Carolina Vidal, Universidad Mayor
- Investigators
- Carolina G Vidal, Principal investigator, Escuela de Salud Pública Universidad Mayor, Chile
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04654780
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- FONISSA17I0121
- Status last verified
- Dec 2020
- First submitted
- 24 Nov 2020
- Last updated
- 4 Dec 2020
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: It has not been decided yet. However, the project corresponds to a project awarded from public funds. So Fonis will also safeguard the information. The results will be published and any information on the project may be requested in a general email from the School of Public Health of the Universidad Mayor (salud.publica@umayor.cl)
Publications
Waterlander WE, Steenhuis IH, de Boer MR, Schuit AJ, Seidell JC. Introducing taxes, subsidies or both: the effects of various food pricing strategies in a web-based supermarket randomized trial. Prev Med. 2012 May;54(5):323-30. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.02.009. Epub 2012 Feb 23.
PubMed 22387008Waterlander WE, Steenhuis IH, de Boer MR, Schuit AJ, Seidell JC. The effects of a 25% discount on fruits and vegetables: results of a randomized trial in a three-dimensional web-based supermarket. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2012 Feb 8;9:11. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-9-11.
PubMed 22316357
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Dec 2020. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Do Taxes on Unhealthy Foods and Subsidies on Healthy Foods Work in Chile ?: Study of Purchasing Decisions and Food Consumption
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04654780
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FONISSA17I0121
- Conditions
- Evaluate the Effectiveness of Taxes on Unhealthy, Evaluate the Effectiveness Subsidies for Healthy Foods
- Keywords
- subsidies, taxes, Nutrition policy, Health policy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 360 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Universidad MayorUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría
- Study start
- 5 Nov 2020 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 5 Jan 2021 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 13 Jan 2021 (estimated)
- First posted
- 4 Dec 2020 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of taxes on unhealthy foods and subsidies for healthy foods in modifying the purchasing and consumption behavior of people in the Metropolitan Region, Chile.
Research hypothesis:
- The application of a tax that increases the price of "High in" foods by 20% will reduce the purchase and consumption of these foods by 24%.
- The application of a subsidy that reduces the price of fruits and vegetables by 20% will increase the purchase and consumption of these foods by 17%.
- People of lower socioeconomic status are more sensitive to price changes than people of higher socioeconomic status.
Methodological design. The research proposal proposes an experimental design that will select the participants from a panel composed of people over 18 years of age, men and women, and of all socioeconomic levels. The methodological design considers a random assignment of the people eligible for the study into 3 groups:
- First group of intervention (GI1): people who will make their purchases with taxes on food and beverages "High in";
- Second intervention group (GI2): people who will make their purchases with subsidies for fruits and vegetables;
- Control group (CG) that will make the purchases with the market prices or currently applied by the supermarkets or purchase scenarios.
Methodology. Participants will make a monthly simulated purchase through a simulated supermarket system with products similar to those found in real supermarkets, including "High in" products and fruits and vegetables. Different prices will be applied to each group depending on the type of food. With the data of simulated purchases, a variation of the demand and by socioeconomic subgroup will be calculated. The results will be compared with the control group.
Expected results. GI1 participants are expected to modify their purchase intention with the "High in" food tax, decreasing the purchase of these products in their simulated purchases, compared to CG participants who will make their simulated purchases without taxes. Likewise, IG2 participants are expected to modify their purchase intention with the fruit and vegetable subsidy, increasing the purchase of these foods, compared to CG participants. Finally, it is assumed that the reduction in simulated purchases of "High in" foods and the increase in simulated purchases of fruits and vegetables vary according to socioeconomic level.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Experimental design that simulates real purchase scenarios to evaluate the effects of a fiscal policy on purchase intention. Participants will be randomly assigned to the different intervention and control groups. Each participant must make a purchase in the virtual supermarket. The study groups used in this research : 1. First intervention group (IG1), a "High in" food tax will be applied to study the changes in the purchasing and consumption behavior of the participants in this group. The tax will correspond to a 20% increase over the market price, that is, a tax that reaches the levels recommended by the WHO. 2. second intervention group (IG2), a subsidy will be applied to fruits and vegetables that means a reduction of 20% in their price, to study the changes in the purchasing and consumption behavior of the participants of said group. 3. control group (CG) the market or current prices of "High in" foods and subsidies of fruits and vegetables will be applied.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| tax on purchases | Experimental | Behavioral: Taxesexposed to high-price purchases of "high in" foods, including sugary drinks. |
| subsidies on purchases | Experimental | Behavioral: Subsidiesexposed to purchases with prices that consider subsidies in fruits and vegetables. |
| Control | Placebo comparator | Behavioral: ControlIt will not be subjected to any intervention and therefore will buy with current or market prices. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Over 18 years of age.
- Person responsible for household purchases.
- Living in a household with one or more boys or girls between 2-14 years of age
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- That in the home there are no dietary restrictions that prevent the development of this research such as eating disorders, food allergies
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Taxesa "High in" food tax will be applied to study changes in purchasing and consumption behavior of participants in this group. The tax will correspond to a 20% increase over the market price, that is, a tax that reaches the levels recommended by the WHO. | Behavioural | tax on purchases |
| SubsidiesA subsidy will be applied to fruits and vegetables that means a reduction of 20% in their price, to study the changes in purchasing behavior and of the participants of said group. | Behavioural | subsidies on purchases |
| ControlAverage or current food prices will apply. Based on the average of the values reported by three supermarkets | Behavioural | Control |
Primary outcome
healthiness of the total shopping
Time frame: one measurement per participant (requested to purchase food for 15 days)
percent of total unit food items defined as healthy
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Dec 2020.
- Background: PubMed 22387008Waterlander WE, Steenhuis IH, de Boer MR, Schuit AJ, Seidell JC. Introducing taxes, subsidies or both: the effects of various food pricing strategies in a web-based supermarket randomized trial. Prev Med. 2012 May;54(5):323-30. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.02.009. Epub 2012 Feb 23.
- Background: PubMed 22316357Waterlander WE, Steenhuis IH, de Boer MR, Schuit AJ, Seidell JC. The effects of a 25% discount on fruits and vegetables: results of a randomized trial in a three-dimensional web-based supermarket. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2012 Feb 8;9:11. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-9-11.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. It has not been decided yet. However, the project corresponds to a project awarded from public funds. So Fonis will also safeguard the information. The results will be published and any information on the project may be requested in a general email from the School of Public Health of the Universidad Mayor (salud.publica@umayor.cl)
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Carolina G Vidal principal investigator
Escuela de Salud Pública Universidad Mayor, Chile
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Taxes and Subsidies in people with Evaluate the Effectiveness of Taxes on Unhealthy and Evaluate the Effectiveness Subsidies for Healthy Foods, run by Universidad Mayor at 1 site in Chile.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Dec 2020. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Chile. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Carolina G Vidal (223281749 ext. 223281749, carolina.vidal@umayor.cl), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
healthiness of the total shopping (time frame: one measurement per participant (requested to purchase food for 15 days)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04654780, which also lists 2 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Dec 2020; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.