Food SelectionNCT04919668
Effect of Gamification in an Online Grocery Store.
A study testing Simulated grocery shopping exercise in people with Food Selection and Food Preferences, run by Tufts University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The overall objective of this research is to evaluate the impact of gamification on the diet quality of food choices made by American adults in an online grocery shopping experiment. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Food Selection, Food Preferences, Behavior, Eating
- What is being tested?
- Simulated grocery shopping exercise
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 1,185 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 30 Jun 2021to 28 Jul 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
- Participants who had 12 items in their final shopping cart.
- Participants who had less than four items from the same food subcategory in their final shopping basket.
- Participants who spent 120% or less of the budget assigned to them.
- Aged 18 or older
- Have access to a personal computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
- Participants who were in the US when participating in the study.
Who cannot join
None listed.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: The Effect of Gamification in an Online Grocery Store Experiment on Food Selection: a Randomized Controlled Trial
The overall objective of this research is to evaluate the impact of gamification on the diet quality of food choices made by American adults in an online grocery shopping experiment. Participants will shop for 12 food items from a grocery shopping list determined by the research team in a simulated online grocery store designed for this experiment. Each product has a nutritional quality score based on the Guiding Stars algorithm. The experiment tests the gamification of the nutritional quality score. Participants exposed to gamification see one to five crowns illustrating the nutritional quality of the food and a scoreboard indicating the total number of crowns from foods in the participant's shopping basket. Participants will be assigned to experimental conditions of gamification (game or no game) and a fictitious budget ($30 or $50). The investigators will test if the game and the budget affect the dietary quality of their final shopping baskets. The experiment is a 2x2 experimental design. The investigators hypothesize that the presence of gamification will change the dietary quality of participants' final shopping baskets. The investigators hypothesize that a higher budget will change the dietary quality of the final shopping basket. The investigators also hypothesize that the game and higher budget together will change the dietary quality of the final shopping basket.
Read the detailed description
Participants will be assigned to one of four experimental conditions:
- Game=No and Budget = $30
- Game=No and Budget = $50
- Game=Yes and Budget = $30
- Game=Yes and Budget = $50.
Variables:
- Game: Indicates exposure to the game (dummy variable)
- Budget: Indicates exposure low ($30) or high ($50) budget constraint (dummy variable).
- Total number of crowns: sum of the number of crowns associated with the 12 items included in participants' final shopping baskets (a continuous variable that ranges from 12 to 60).
- Number of crowns: number of crowns associated with each of the 12 items included in participants' final shopping baskets separately (a continuous variable that ranges from 1 to 5).
- Conditions
- Food Selection, Food Preferences, Behavior, Eating
- Being tested
- Simulated grocery shopping exercise
- Keywords
- Gamification
- Medical subject headings
- Food Preferences, Feeding Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Simulated grocery shopping exerciseBehavioural
Participants will click a link and simulate an online grocery shopping experience by selecting items for 12 grocery categories.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Low budget; no game | Sham comparator | Participants will be asked to shop for 12 list items in the simulated grocery store without game elements (crowns and scoreboards) displayed. They will be given a low budget of $30. Receives: Behavioral: Simulated grocery shopping exercise |
| High budget; no game | Active comparator | Participants will be asked to shop for 12 list items in the simulated grocery store without game elements (crowns and scoreboards) displayed. They will be given a high budget of $50. Receives: Behavioral: Simulated grocery shopping exercise |
| Low budget; game | Active comparator | Participants will be asked to shop for 12 list items in the simulated grocery store with game elements (crowns and scoreboards) displayed. They will be given a low budget of $30. Receives: Behavioral: Simulated grocery shopping exercise |
| High budget; game | Active comparator | Participants will be asked to shop for 12 list items in the simulated grocery store with game elements (crowns and scoreboards) displayed. They will be given a high budget of $50. Receives: Behavioral: Simulated grocery shopping exercise |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Total number of crowns
Sum of number of crowns of foods included in the final shopping basket for each participant
Measured: One hour
Secondary outcomes (1)
Number of crowns
Number of crowns for foods included in final shopping basket for each list item separately
Measured: One hour
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Jun 2021
- Study start30 Jun 2021
- Primary completion28 Jul 2021
- Study completion28 Jul 2021
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Food SelectionStudies 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
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 1,185 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Tufts University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Duke University, Wal-Mart Foundation
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Sean Cash, Tufts University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04919668
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 00001028
- Status last verified
- Sep 2021
- First submitted
- 27 May 2021
- Last updated
- 1 Oct 2021
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Deidentified individual participant data collected in this experiment will be shared upon reasonable request.
Publications
Braga BC, Cash SB, Sarson K, Chang R, Mosca A, Wilson NLW. The gamification of nutrition labels to encourage healthier food selection in online grocery shopping: A randomized controlled trial. Appetite. 2023 Sep 1;188:106610. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106610. Epub 2023 Jun 2.
PubMed 37269883
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Oct 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of Gamification in an Online Grocery Store Experiment on Food Selection: a Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04919668
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 00001028
- Conditions
- Food Selection, Food Preferences, Behavior, Eating
- Keywords
- Gamification
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,185 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Tufts UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Duke University, Wal-Mart Foundation
- Study start
- 30 Jun 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 28 Jul 2021 (actual)
- Study completion
- 28 Jul 2021 (actual)
- First posted
- 9 Jun 2021 (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.
The overall objective of this research is to evaluate the impact of gamification on the diet quality of food choices made by American adults in an online grocery shopping experiment. Participants will shop for 12 food items from a grocery shopping list determined by the research team in a simulated online grocery store designed for this experiment. Each product has a nutritional quality score based on the Guiding Stars algorithm. The experiment tests the gamification of the nutritional quality score. Participants exposed to gamification see one to five crowns illustrating the nutritional quality of the food and a scoreboard indicating the total number of crowns from foods in the participant's shopping basket. Participants will be assigned to experimental conditions of gamification (game or no game) and a fictitious budget ($30 or $50). The investigators will test if the game and the budget affect the dietary quality of their final shopping baskets. The experiment is a 2x2 experimental design. The investigators hypothesize that the presence of gamification will change the dietary quality of participants' final shopping baskets. The investigators hypothesize that a higher budget will change the dietary quality of the final shopping basket. The investigators also hypothesize that the game and higher budget together will change the dietary quality of the final shopping basket.
Detailed description
Participants will be assigned to one of four experimental conditions:
- Game=No and Budget = $30
- Game=No and Budget = $50
- Game=Yes and Budget = $30
- Game=Yes and Budget = $50.
Variables:
- Game: Indicates exposure to the game (dummy variable)
- Budget: Indicates exposure low ($30) or high ($50) budget constraint (dummy variable).
- Total number of crowns: sum of the number of crowns associated with the 12 items included in participants' final shopping baskets (a continuous variable that ranges from 12 to 60).
- Number of crowns: number of crowns associated with each of the 12 items included in participants' final shopping baskets separately (a continuous variable that ranges from 1 to 5).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Low budget; no game | Sham comparator | Behavioral: Simulated grocery shopping exerciseParticipants will be asked to shop for 12 list items in the simulated grocery store without game elements (crowns and scoreboards) displayed. They will be given a low budget of $30. |
| High budget; no game | Active comparator | Behavioral: Simulated grocery shopping exerciseParticipants will be asked to shop for 12 list items in the simulated grocery store without game elements (crowns and scoreboards) displayed. They will be given a high budget of $50. |
| Low budget; game | Active comparator | Behavioral: Simulated grocery shopping exerciseParticipants will be asked to shop for 12 list items in the simulated grocery store with game elements (crowns and scoreboards) displayed. They will be given a low budget of $30. |
| High budget; game | Active comparator | Behavioral: Simulated grocery shopping exerciseParticipants will be asked to shop for 12 list items in the simulated grocery store with game elements (crowns and scoreboards) displayed. They will be given a high budget of $50. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Participants who had 12 items in their final shopping cart.
- Participants who had less than four items from the same food subcategory in their final shopping basket.
- Participants who spent 120% or less of the budget assigned to them.
- Aged 18 or older
- Have access to a personal computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Simulated grocery shopping exerciseParticipants will click a link and simulate an online grocery shopping experience by selecting items for 12 grocery categories. | Behavioural | High budget; game, High budget; no game, Low budget; game, Low budget; no game |
Primary outcome
Total number of crowns
Time frame: One hour
Sum of number of crowns of foods included in the final shopping basket for each participant
1 secondary outcome
Number of crowns
Time frame: One hour
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Oct 2021.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 37269883Braga BC, Cash SB, Sarson K, Chang R, Mosca A, Wilson NLW. The gamification of nutrition labels to encourage healthier food selection in online grocery shopping: A randomized controlled trial. Appetite. 2023 Sep 1;188:106610. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106610. Epub 2023 Jun 2.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Deidentified individual participant data collected in this experiment will be shared upon reasonable request.
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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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Simulated grocery shopping exercise in people with Food Selection and Food Preferences, run by Tufts University at 1 site in United States.
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 6 inclusion and 0 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Oct 2021. 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 United States. 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?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Total number of crowns (time frame: One hour). 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 NCT04919668, which also lists 1 linked publication.
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 1 Oct 2021.