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ObesityNCT05953194

Effects of Sugary Drinks Counter-marketing Messages

A study testing Exposure to counter-marketing messages and Exposure to traditional health messages in people with Obesity and Weight Prejudice, run by Stanford University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study aims to examine consumer responses to traditional and counter-marketing messages discouraging sugary drink consumption, including effects on intentions to consume sugary drinks and perceived weight stigma. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Obesity, Weight Prejudice, Weight Gain
What is being tested?
Exposure to counter-marketing messages and Exposure to traditional health messages
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
2,184 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
7 Aug 2023to 7 Aug 2023
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

  • 18 years old or older

Who cannot join

  • Less than 18 years old

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • Stanford School of Medicine

    Palo Alto, California, 94304

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Effects of Anti-sugar-sweetened-beverage Counter-marketing on Behavioral Intentions and Perceived Weight Stigma

This study aims to examine consumer responses to traditional and counter-marketing messages discouraging sugary drink consumption, including effects on intentions to consume sugary drinks and perceived weight stigma. Because prior research has suggested that counter-marketing may be especially effective among younger populations, the investigators will examine effects overall and by age group (young adults [ages 18-29 years] vs. middle and older adults [ages 30+ years]).

Read the detailed description

In this online randomized clinical trial, participants will be randomized to one of three arms: 1) Control (neutral) messages, 2) Traditional health messages, and 3) Counter-marketing messages. In each arm, participants will view four messages developed for their randomly assigned arm and answer questions about the messages and their behavioral intentions.

Being tested
Exposure to counter-marketing messages, Exposure to traditional health messages, Exposure to control (neutral) messages
Keywords
counter-marketing, health communication, sugar sweetened beverage
Medical subject headings
Obesity, Weight Prejudice, Weight Gain, Feeding Behavior

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Exposure to counter-marketing messagesBehavioural

    Counter-marketing messages about sugary drinks that incorporate principles of effective counter-marketing campaigns, including describing industry manipulation of consumers, appealing to emotions (especially anger), describing health consequences, and criticizing the industry for demographic targeting. Messages include text adapted from prior counter-marketing campaigns. Participants will view a total of 4 messages developed for this arm.

  • Exposure to traditional health messagesBehavioural

    Traditional health messages focused on the health consequences of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, using text adapted from prior sugary drink campaigns. Participants will view a total of 4 messages developed for this arm.

  • Exposure to control (neutral) messagesBehavioural

    Control messages approximately matched to the intervention messages on length, but discussing a neutral topic unrelated to sugary drinks (safe driving). Participants will view a total of 4 messages developed for this arm.

Study groups in NCT05953194
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Control (neutral) messagesActive comparatorParticipants will view control messages approximately matched to the intervention messages on length, but discussing a neutral topic unrelated to sugary drinks (safe driving). Participants will view a total of 4 messages developed for this arm.
Receives: Behavioral: Exposure to control (neutral) messages
Traditional health messagesExperimentalParticipants will view traditional health messages focused on the health consequences of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, using text adapted from prior sugary drink campaigns. Participants will view a total of 4 messages developed for this arm.
Receives: Behavioral: Exposure to traditional health messages
Counter-marketing messagesExperimentalParticipants will view counter-marketing messages about sugary drinks that incorporate principles of effective counter-marketing campaigns, including describing industry manipulation of consumers, appealing to emotions (especially anger), describing health consequences, and criticizing the industry for demographic targeting. Messages include text adapted from prior counter-marketing campaigns. Participants will view a total of 4 messages developed for this arm.
Receives: Behavioral: Exposure to counter-marketing messages

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Intentions to consume sugary drinks

    We will assess intentions to consume sugary drinks using 2 items: "In the next week, I plan to drink sugary drinks like sodas, sports drinks, or fruit drinks," and "In the next week, I am likely to drink sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas, sports drinks, or fruit drinks". Response options to both items will use a 5-point Likert scale: the first item's response options will range from "definitely not" (1) to "definitely yes" (5), and the second item's response options will range from "not at all likely" (1) to "extremely likely" (5). We will average responses to the 2 items.

    Measured: The survey will take up to 20 minutes

Secondary outcomes (6)

  1. Perceived message effectiveness for discouraging sugary drink consumption

    Item: "These messages discourage me from wanting to drink sugary drinks." This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "not at all" (1) to "a great deal" (5).

    Measured: The survey will take up to 20 minutes

  2. Negative feelings toward drinking sugary drinks

    Item: "How do these messages make you feel about drinking sugary drinks?" This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "extremely positive" (1) to "extremely negative" (5).

    Measured: The survey will take up to 20 minutes

  3. Anticipated social interactions

    We will examine anticipated social interactions by asking, "How likely are you to talk about these messages with others in the next week?" This item will be scored on a 5-pt Likert scale ranging from "not at all likely" (1) to "extremely likely" (5).

    Measured: The survey will take up to 20 minutes

  4. Attitudes toward sugary drink companies

    We will examine attitudes toward sugary drink companies by asking, "How do you feel about companies that make sugary drinks?" This item will be scored on a 5-pt Likert scale ranging from "dislike them a lot" (1) to "like them a lot" (5).

    Measured: The survey will take up to 20 minutes

  5. Perceived obesity stigma

    We will examine the extent to which participants perceive the messages as contributing to obesity stigma by asking 3 items: "These messages promote negative attitudes about people who have overweight or obesity," "These messages increase blame towards people for being overweight," and "These messages make obesity seem like a much simpler issue than it really is." Each item will be scored on a 5-point Likert scale from "not at all" (1) to "a great deal" (5). We will average responses to these items.

    Measured: The survey will take up to 20 minutes

  6. Message reactance

    We will examine psychological reactance to the messages by asking 3 items: "These messages are trying to manipulate me," "These messages are overblown" and "How much do these messages make you feel angry?" Each item will be scored on a 5-point Likert scale from "not at all" (1) to "a great deal" (5). We will average responses to these items, assuming sufficient internal consistency (alpha>=.70).

    Measured: The survey will take up to 20 minutes

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 Jul 2023
  2. Study start7 Aug 2023
  3. Primary completion7 Aug 2023
  4. Study completion7 Aug 2023

Resources

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
None (open label)
Enrolment
2,184 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05953194
Sponsor's protocol ID
69580a
Status last verified
Feb 2024
First submitted
11 Jul 2023
Last updated
28 Feb 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The investigators will share statistical analysis plan and analytic code after publication. The investigators will post these items and de-identified data on ResearchBox, a publicly available platform.

Publications

  • Kraak VI, Consavage Stanley K, Harrigan PB, Zhou M. How have media campaigns been used to promote and discourage healthy and unhealthy beverages in the United States? A systematic scoping review to inform future research to reduce sugary beverage health risks. Obes Rev. 2022 May;23(5):e13425. doi: 10.1111/obr.13425. Epub 2022 Feb 9.

    PubMed 35142020

  • Boles M, Adams A, Gredler A, Manhas S. Ability of a mass media campaign to influence knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about sugary drinks and obesity. Prev Med. 2014 Oct;67 Suppl 1:S40-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.07.023. Epub 2014 Jul 24.

    PubMed 25066020

  • Kite J, Grunseit A, Bohn-Goldbaum E, Bellew B, Carroll T, Bauman A. A Systematic Search and Review of Adult-Targeted Overweight and Obesity Prevention Mass Media Campaigns and Their Evaluation: 2000-2017. J Health Commun. 2018;23(2):207-232. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2018.1423651. Epub 2018 Jan 16.

    PubMed 29336684

  • Te V, Ford P, Schubert L. Exploring social media campaigns against sugar-sweetened beverage consumption: A systematic search. Schumacher U, ed. Cogent Medicine. 2019;6(1):1607432. doi:10.1080/2331205X.2019.1607432

  • Bryan CJ, Yeager DS, Hinojosa CP. A values-alignment intervention protects adolescents from the effects of food marketing. Nat Hum Behav. 2019 Jun;3(6):596-603. doi: 10.1038/s41562-019-0586-6. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

    PubMed 30988478

  • Crandall CS, Reser AH. Attributions and Weight-Based Prejudice. In: Brownell K, Puhl R, Schwartz M, Rudd L, eds. Weight Bias: Nature, Consequences, and Remedies. Guilford Publications; 2005:83-96.

  • Puhl RM, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. Impact of perceived consensus on stereotypes about obese people: a new approach for reducing bias. Health Psychol. 2005 Sep;24(5):517-25. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.24.5.517.

    PubMed 16162046

  • Dixon H, Scully M, Gascoyne C, Wakefield M. Can counter-advertising diminish persuasive effects of conventional and pseudo-healthy unhealthy food product advertising on parents?: an experimental study. BMC Public Health. 2020 Nov 25;20(1):1781. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09881-1.

    PubMed 33238936

  • Krieger J, Kwon T, Ruiz R, Walkinshaw LP, Yan J, Roberto CA. Countermarketing About Fruit Drinks, Alone or With Water Promotion: A 2019 Randomized Controlled Trial in Latinx Parents. Am J Public Health. 2021 Nov;111(11):1997-2007. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306488. Epub 2021 Oct 28.

    PubMed 34709859

  • Grummon AH, Zeitlin AB, Lee CJY, Hall MG, Collis C, Cleveland LP, Petimar J. Countermarketing Versus Health Education Messages About Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: An Online Randomized Controlled Trial of US Adults. Am J Public Health. 2024 Dec;114(12):1354-1364. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307853. Epub 2024 Oct 3.

    PubMed 39361914

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Exposure to counter-marketing messages and Exposure to traditional health messages in people with Obesity and Weight Prejudice, run by Stanford 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 1 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Feb 2024. 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. 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?

Intentions to consume sugary drinks (time frame: The survey will take up to 20 minutes). 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 NCT05953194, which also lists 10 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 28 Feb 2024.

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