Eating Behavior DisordersNCT07339969
Food Choice Among Individuals With an Eating Disorder Diagnosis
A study testing Front-of-pack nutrition labelling in people with Eating Behavior Disorders, run by University of Liverpool at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
The aim of this study is to understand the impact of front of pack labelling systems such as, warning labels and traffic light labels on food choice and negative emotional response in an eating disorder(s) population group. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Eating Behavior Disorders
- What is being tested?
- Front-of-pack nutrition labelling
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 403 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 13 Nov 2025to 6 Feb 2026
- 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
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Current or past eating disorder diagnosis
- Aged 18+
- Live in the UK
- Fluent English speaker
Who cannot join
- Currently partaking in a fast or any other restrictive eating
- Any dietary restrictions/intolerances (eg. Vegan, Gluten-free, etc.)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: The Impact of Warning Labels vs Traffic Light Labels on Food Choice and Negative Emotional Response in an Eating Disorder Population Group
The aim of this study is to understand the impact of front of pack labelling systems such as, warning labels and traffic light labels on food choice and negative emotional response in an eating disorder(s) population group. Participants will be recruited to take part in an online study where they will be required to make hypothetical food choices. Participants will complete a baseline no label task, before being randomly assigned to (1) warning label group, (2) traffic light label group, or (3) no label group in which they will complete the same task a second time (mixed design). Each participant, irrespective of the group will be asked to complete five trials within the main task. Participants will view a selection of six packaged food items for scenarios involving labels predominately relating to (1) sugar, (2) salt, (3) fat, (4) saturated fat, and (5) calorie content of the food products. Three items will be 'high in' that particular nutrient and three items will not be high in that nutrient. Participants will be shown all six options at once and will be asked to choose one item. In total, participants will choose five different items, one from each trial. After participants have made their food choices for the second task, they will be asked questions about the task they have just completed.
Read the detailed description
The aim of this study is to understand the impact of front of pack labelling systems such as, warning labels and traffic light labels on food choice and negative emotional response in an eating disorder(s) population group.
Hypotheses:
Both WL and TLL will affect food choice (vs. control), but WL will have a larger impact on discouraging unhealthy food choices than TLL.
Both WL and TLL will affect calorie and nutrient selected (vs. control), but WL will have a larger impact than TLL.
WL will have a larger impact on negative emotional responses than TLL.
Study type:
Randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Blinding:
Participants will not know the group to which they have been assigned to.
Additional blinding:
Participants will be given to a cover story to conceal the objectives of the study.
Study design:
Participants will be recruited to take part in an online study where they will be required to make hypothetical food choices. Participants will complete a baseline no label task, before being randomly assigned to (1) warning label group, (2) traffic light label group, or (3) no label group in which they will complete the same task a second time (mixed design).The baseline task must be completed between 24 hours and 1 week prior to completing the second task. Each participant, irrespective of the group will be asked to complete five trials within the main task. Participants will view a selection of six packaged food items for scenarios involving labels predominately relating to (1) sugar, (2) salt, (3) fat, (4) saturated fat, and (5) calorie content of the food products. Three items will be 'high in' that particular nutrient and three items will not be high in that nutrient. Participants will be shown all six options at once and will be asked to choose one item. In total, participants will choose five different items, one from each trial. After participants have made their food choices for the second task, they will be asked questions about the task they have just completed. All tasks and questionnaires will be identical in each label group - only the label will differ.
Food choice task Qualtrics XM survey software will be used to create the different trials within the food choice task. Participants will be recruited through Prolific; a data collection platform which recruits participants for online studies globally. Participants earn money by completing studies proportionate to the time it takes to complete the study (around £6 per hour). An online information sheet and consent form will be automatically displayed to participants via Qualtrics before the survey starts. Participants will be required to confirm that they have read the information sheet, and consent to taking part, in order to gain access to the survey questions. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes. Upon completion/termination of the survey, an online debrief sheet, including links to where they can be directed to for help if the study has triggered symptoms, will be automatically displayed to participants via Qualtrics.
Participants will be told to imagine they are hypothetically choosing different items for themselves to eat. The task will include 5 trials (1) crisps, (2) cereal, (3) pasta ready meal, (4) assorted savoury snacks, and (5) lunch salads. Each trial will focus on a different 'high in' nutrient, for example, (1) crisps will display 'high in salt', (2) cereals will display 'high in sugar', (3) pasta ready meals will display 'high in saturated fat', (4) assorted savoury snacks will display 'high in fat', and (5) lunch salads will display 'high in calories'. In each trial there will be three packaged food items without 'high in' labels or a 'red' traffic light label and three with WL or TLL (see "Label task questionnaire" attachment). Criteria for products labelled 'high in' is in line with labelling criteria for TLL in the UK. The design of WL will be representative of the results from patient and public involvement (PPI) from a study co-designing and examining 'high in' warning labels for a selection of food items and menu items in the UK. The design of TLL will be as it exists on UK products currently. Packaged products were selected from Tesco online supermarket. In the WL group, all TLL will be hidden. Products will be kept as similar as possible within each trial, for example, all cereals were chocolate flavoured, all crisps salt and vinegar flavoured. Pricing will not be displayed to prevent price influencing food choice.
- Conditions
- Eating Behavior Disorders
- Being tested
- Front-of-pack nutrition labelling
- Keywords
- nutrition labelling, eating disorders, food choice, warning labels, traffic light labels
- Medical subject headings
- Feeding and Eating Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Front-of-pack nutrition labellingBehavioural
Participants will view a selection of six packaged food items for scenarios involving labels predominately relating to (1) sugar, (2) salt, (3) fat, (4) saturated fat, and (5) calorie content of the food products. Three items will be 'high in' that particular nutrient and three items will not be high in that nutrient. Participants will be shown all six options at once and will be asked to choose one item. In total, participants will choose five different items, one from each trial.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| No label | Active comparator | Products in the food choice task will not feature a nutrition label. Receives: Behavioral: Front-of-pack nutrition labelling |
| Traffic light label | Experimental | Products in the food choice task will feature a traffic light label. Receives: Behavioral: Front-of-pack nutrition labelling |
| Warning labels | Experimental | Products in the food choice task will feature warning labels if high in sugar, salt, fat, saturated fat, and/or calories. Receives: Behavioral: Front-of-pack nutrition labelling |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Total number of unhealthy food items selected
Total number of selected unhealthy food items across the 5 trials will be calculated. Unhealthy food items will be coded as items eligible for a WL or a red traffic light label for the task-specific nutrient e.g., red for salt in crisp trial.
Measured: Measured in both surveys, immediately after the intervention. The baseline task must be completed between 24 hours and 1 week prior to completing the second task.
Secondary outcomes (8)
Total calories, salt, sugar, fat, saturated fat from selected food items
Total number of calories, salt (g), sugar (g), fat (g), saturated fat (g) from selected food items across the 5 trials will be calculated.
Measured: Measured in both surveys, immediately after the intervention.
Negative emotional response
To be assessed using an adapted four-item measure, previously used to assess responses to health warning labels regarding snack selection (Clarke et al., 2020). Responses will be conveyed using seven-point scales: 'How afraid/worried/uncomfortable/disgusted does the label on food make you feel about consuming a product? With scores ranging from 1 (not at all afraid/worried/uncomfortable/disgusted) to 7 (very afraid/worried/uncomfortable/disgusted). A mean average will be calculated for the four items.
Measured: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS)
Negative affect is to be assessed using the shortened version of PANAS (Mackinnon et al., 1999). Only the 5 items (afraid, upset, nervous, scared, distressed) that assess negative affect will be included pre and post the food choice task, as hypotheses relate to negative affect, whereas positive affect is not anticipated to be impacted by food labelling. 'How afraid/upset/nervous/scared/distressed do you feel right now?' Responses will be conveyed using Likert scale (1=Very slightly or not at all to 5= Extremely) based on the extent of which participant feels that emotion in a particular time frame (e.g., pre task and post task). Pre- and post- food choice task responses will be used to assess whether participants experience a change in negative emotion following exposure to the labels.
Measured: Measured in both surveys, pre-intervention and immediately after the intervention.
Reactance and avoidance
Two items will be taken from a 27-item scale developed for reactance to tobacco health warnings that were then used to assess responses to health warning labels regarding snack selection (Hall et al., 2016) (Clarke et al., 2020). Responses will be denoted using seven-point scales. Reactance: 'Are these labels annoying?'. Avoidance: 'Are you likely to avoid these labels?' With scores ranging from 1 (not annoying/not at all) to 7 (extremely annoying/very likely). Items will be scored separately.
Measured: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Acceptability of labels
To be assessed using one item with responses represented on a seven point scale, adapted from a similar measure used to assess warning labels on a snack selection (Clarke et al., 2020). 'Do you support or oppose putting this label on food products?'. With scores ranging from 1 (strongly oppose) to 7 (strongly support). A score higher than the midpoint (four) will be taken as acceptability.
Measured: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Perceived message effectiveness (PME)
Three items will be adapted and taken from a scale used to predict behaviour change in the context of tobacco (Baig et al., 2018). Responses will be conveyed using a Likert scale ranging from 1-5 (not at all/a great deal). Discouragement: 'This label discourages me from wanting to consume a food product'. Unpleasantness: 'The label makes consuming a food product seem unpleasant'. Concern: 'This label makes me concerned about the health effects of consuming a food product'. The mean response to the three items will be calculated.
Measured: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Label awareness
'Did you notice a nutrition label when making your food choices (e.g., when choosing crisps, pasta ready meal, cereal, savoury snacks, and lunch salad?' (yes/no/unsure). If answered yes, what information was included? Response options (shown in random order): high in salt, high in sugar, high in saturated fat, high in fat, high in fibre, high in calories, calorie information, allergen information, none of these, unsure. Participants coded aware if they select all the correct responses.
Measured: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Label influence
Did the presence of a nutrition label on the food items influence your food choice? Yes/No/Unsure. If answered yes, how did the nutrition label influence your food choice? Response options (shown in random order): it made me select a healthier food item, it made me avoid items high in fat/saturated fat/salt/sugar, it made me select a less healthier food item, it prompted me to think about my food choice before deciding, it didn't influence me and I ignored it, not sure.
Measured: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Jan 2026
- Study start13 Nov 2025
- Primary completion6 Feb 2026
- Study completion6 Feb 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Eating Behavior DisordersStudies 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
- Participants will be recruited to take part in an online study where they will be required to make hypothetical food choices. Participants will complete a baseline no label task, before being randomly assigned to (1) warning label group, (2) traffic light label group, or (3) no label group in which they will complete the same task a second time (mixed design).
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 403 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Liverpool
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Eric Robinson, University of Liverpool
- Investigators
- Eric Robinson, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Liverpool
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07339969
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 15576
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 18 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 4 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Anonymised dataset will be uploaded to the Open Science Framework.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Impact of Warning Labels vs Traffic Light Labels on Food Choice and Negative Emotional Response in an Eating Disorder Population Group
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07339969
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 15576
- Conditions
- Eating Behavior Disorders
- Keywords
- nutrition labelling, eating disorders, food choice, warning labels, traffic light labels
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 403 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of LiverpoolUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom
- Study start
- 13 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 6 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 6 Feb 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 Jan 2026 (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 aim of this study is to understand the impact of front of pack labelling systems such as, warning labels and traffic light labels on food choice and negative emotional response in an eating disorder(s) population group. Participants will be recruited to take part in an online study where they will be required to make hypothetical food choices. Participants will complete a baseline no label task, before being randomly assigned to (1) warning label group, (2) traffic light label group, or (3) no label group in which they will complete the same task a second time (mixed design). Each participant, irrespective of the group will be asked to complete five trials within the main task. Participants will view a selection of six packaged food items for scenarios involving labels predominately relating to (1) sugar, (2) salt, (3) fat, (4) saturated fat, and (5) calorie content of the food products. Three items will be 'high in' that particular nutrient and three items will not be high in that nutrient. Participants will be shown all six options at once and will be asked to choose one item. In total, participants will choose five different items, one from each trial. After participants have made their food choices for the second task, they will be asked questions about the task they have just completed.
Detailed description
The aim of this study is to understand the impact of front of pack labelling systems such as, warning labels and traffic light labels on food choice and negative emotional response in an eating disorder(s) population group.
Hypotheses:
Both WL and TLL will affect food choice (vs. control), but WL will have a larger impact on discouraging unhealthy food choices than TLL.
Both WL and TLL will affect calorie and nutrient selected (vs. control), but WL will have a larger impact than TLL.
WL will have a larger impact on negative emotional responses than TLL.
Study type:
Randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Blinding:
Participants will not know the group to which they have been assigned to.
Additional blinding:
Participants will be given to a cover story to conceal the objectives of the study.
Study design:
Participants will be recruited to take part in an online study where they will be required to make hypothetical food choices. Participants will complete a baseline no label task, before being randomly assigned to (1) warning label group, (2) traffic light label group, or (3) no label group in which they will complete the same task a second time (mixed design).The baseline task must be completed between 24 hours and 1 week prior to completing the second task. Each participant, irrespective of the group will be asked to complete five trials within the main task. Participants will view a selection of six packaged food items for scenarios involving labels predominately relating to (1) sugar, (2) salt, (3) fat, (4) saturated fat, and (5) calorie content of the food products. Three items will be 'high in' that particular nutrient and three items will not be high in that nutrient. Participants will be shown all six options at once and will be asked to choose one item. In total, participants will choose five different items, one from each trial. After participants have made their food choices for the second task, they will be asked questions about the task they have just completed. All tasks and questionnaires will be identical in each label group - only the label will differ.
Food choice task Qualtrics XM survey software will be used to create the different trials within the food choice task. Participants will be recruited through Prolific; a data collection platform which recruits participants for online studies globally. Participants earn money by completing studies proportionate to the time it takes to complete the study (around £6 per hour). An online information sheet and consent form will be automatically displayed to participants via Qualtrics before the survey starts. Participants will be required to confirm that they have read the information sheet, and consent to taking part, in order to gain access to the survey questions. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes. Upon completion/termination of the survey, an online debrief sheet, including links to where they can be directed to for help if the study has triggered symptoms, will be automatically displayed to participants via Qualtrics.
Participants will be told to imagine they are hypothetically choosing different items for themselves to eat. The task will include 5 trials (1) crisps, (2) cereal, (3) pasta ready meal, (4) assorted savoury snacks, and (5) lunch salads. Each trial will focus on a different 'high in' nutrient, for example, (1) crisps will display 'high in salt', (2) cereals will display 'high in sugar', (3) pasta ready meals will display 'high in saturated fat', (4) assorted savoury snacks will display 'high in fat', and (5) lunch salads will display 'high in calories'. In each trial there will be three packaged food items without 'high in' labels or a 'red' traffic light label and three with WL or TLL (see "Label task questionnaire" attachment). Criteria for products labelled 'high in' is in line with labelling criteria for TLL in the UK. The design of WL will be representative of the results from patient and public involvement (PPI) from a study co-designing and examining 'high in' warning labels for a selection of food items and menu items in the UK. The design of TLL will be as it exists on UK products currently. Packaged products were selected from Tesco online supermarket. In the WL group, all TLL will be hidden. Products will be kept as similar as possible within each trial, for example, all cereals were chocolate flavoured, all crisps salt and vinegar flavoured. Pricing will not be displayed to prevent price influencing food choice.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Participants will be recruited to take part in an online study where they will be required to make hypothetical food choices. Participants will complete a baseline no label task, before being randomly assigned to (1) warning label group, (2) traffic light label group, or (3) no label group in which they will complete the same task a second time (mixed design).
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| No label | Active comparator | Behavioral: Front-of-pack nutrition labellingProducts in the food choice task will not feature a nutrition label. |
| Traffic light label | Experimental | Behavioral: Front-of-pack nutrition labellingProducts in the food choice task will feature a traffic light label. |
| Warning labels | Experimental | Behavioral: Front-of-pack nutrition labellingProducts in the food choice task will feature warning labels if high in sugar, salt, fat, saturated fat, and/or calories. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Current or past eating disorder diagnosis
- Aged 18+
- Live in the UK
- Fluent English speaker
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Currently partaking in a fast or any other restrictive eating
- Any dietary restrictions/intolerances (eg. Vegan, Gluten-free, etc.)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Front-of-pack nutrition labellingParticipants will view a selection of six packaged food items for scenarios involving labels predominately relating to (1) sugar, (2) salt, (3) fat, (4) saturated fat, and (5) calorie content of the food products. Three items will be 'high in' that particular nutrient and three items will not be high in that nutrient. Participants will be shown all six options at once and will be asked to choose one item. In total, participants will choose five different items, one from each trial. | Behavioural | No label, Traffic light label, Warning labels |
Primary outcome
Total number of unhealthy food items selected
Time frame: Measured in both surveys, immediately after the intervention. The baseline task must be completed between 24 hours and 1 week prior to completing the second task.
Total number of selected unhealthy food items across the 5 trials will be calculated. Unhealthy food items will be coded as items eligible for a WL or a red traffic light label for the task-specific nutrient e.g., red for salt in crisp trial.
8 secondary outcomes
Total calories, salt, sugar, fat, saturated fat from selected food items
Time frame: Measured in both surveys, immediately after the intervention.
Negative emotional response
Time frame: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS)
Time frame: Measured in both surveys, pre-intervention and immediately after the intervention.
Reactance and avoidance
Time frame: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Acceptability of labels
Time frame: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Perceived message effectiveness (PME)
Time frame: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Label awareness
Time frame: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
Label influence
Time frame: Measured in survey 2, immediately after the intervention.
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 4 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Anonymised dataset will be uploaded to the Open Science Framework.
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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.
Eric Robinson, PhD principal investigator
University of Liverpool
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Front-of-pack nutrition labelling in people with Eating Behavior Disorders, run by University of Liverpool at 1 site in United Kingdom.
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 4 inclusion and 2 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 4 Sep 2026. 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 Kingdom. 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?
Total number of unhealthy food items selected (time frame: Measured in both surveys, immediately after the intervention. The baseline task must be completed between 24 hours and 1 week prior to completing the second task.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 Sep 2026.