NutritionNCT07346001
Impacts of Sugar Warnings on Weight Bias
A study testing Added sugar warning in people with Nutrition and Diet Interventions, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study aims to examine the effects of added sugar warning labels for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on explicit weight bias and body weight attributional judgements. Participants will be assigned to view either control labels or added sugar warning labels applied on SSBs in an experimental store. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Nutrition, Diet Interventions
- What is being tested?
- Added sugar warning
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 543 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 16 Feb 2026to Dec 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 and older
- Bought sugary drinks from a store at least once during the past week
- Willing to attend 4 in-person study appointments
Who cannot join
- Living in the same household as someone else in the study
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
UNC MiniMart Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514
Violet Noe, 252-714-3572, violetn@email.unc.edu
About this study
Official title: Impacts of Prolonged Exposure to Added Sugar Warning Labels on Explicit Weight Bias: a Randomized Controlled Trial
This study aims to examine the effects of added sugar warning labels for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on explicit weight bias and body weight attributional judgements. Participants will be assigned to view either control labels or added sugar warning labels applied on SSBs in an experimental store. Participants will shop for beverages in the store and take a computer survey during four visits to the store, spaced approximately one week apart.
Read the detailed description
This study aims to determine whether applying added sugar warnings on sugary drinks impacts explicit weight bias and body weight attributional judgements. Approximately 543 adults (ages 18 and older) who have bought at least one SSB in the past week will attend four in-person visits at an experimental store, spaced approximately one week apart. Participants will be randomized to see either neutral control labels or added sugar labels on SSB containers during their visits to the experimental store. At each study visit, participants will shop for beverages in the store and take a computer survey. Explicit weight bias and attribution of responsibility for body weight will be assessed via the computer surveys at the first and last visit.
- Conditions
- Nutrition, Diet Interventions
- Being tested
- Control label, Added sugar warning
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Control labelBehavioural
The control label will display a neutral, square-shaped barcode. Labels will be placed on the front of SSB containers in the experimental store.
Added sugar warningBehavioural
The added sugar warning will be octagon-shaped and will state "HIGH IN ADDED SUGAR." Warnings will be placed on the front of SSB containers in the experimental store.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control label | Other | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Control label |
| Added sugar warning | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Added sugar warning |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Explicit weight bias, mean score
Explicit weight bias will be measured by survey through seven items. Items will present participants with pairs of antonyms and ask that they select the box between antonyms that they feel best describes their feelings and beliefs about people with obesity: (1) lazy - hard-working, (2) no will power - has will power, (3) good self - control - poor self-control, (4) active - inactive, (5) self-indulgent - self-sacrificing, (6) dislikes food - likes food, (7) undereats - overeats.
Response options, which will be presented as 5 boxes between antonyms, will be coded in a categorical 1-5 range, where higher scores represent higher endorsement of a stereotype that contributes to weight bias. Each participant's responses to each item will then be averaged across the seven items to obtain their final score on the outcome in a 1-5 range, where higher scores represent higher explicit weight bias.
Measured: Assessed via survey after exposure to intervention (i.e., shopping task) 2 times approximately 4 weeks apart (i.e., in visits 1 and 4)
Secondary outcomes (1)
Body weight attributional judgements, mean score
Body weight attributional judgements will be measured by survey through two items. Items will ask participants how much they agree with two statements: (1) People with obesity are responsible for their weight; (2) People with obesity are to blame for their weight.
Response options will be on a 5-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree, with higher scores representing higher agreement. Each participant's responses to each item will be averaged to obtain their final score on the outcome in a 1-5 range, where higher scores represent higher attribution of personal responsibility for body weight.
Measured: Assessed via survey after exposure to intervention (i.e., shopping task) 2 times approximately 4 weeks apart (i.e., in visits 1 and 4).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Jan 2026
- Study start16 Feb 2026
- Primary completionDec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for NutritionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of North Carolina, Chapel HillThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 543 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Aline D'Angelo Campos, PhD, MPP, Principal investigator, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07346001
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 24-0901b
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 6 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 16 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan will be shared prior to data collection. After data collection and analysis, a de-identified version of individual participant data and the analytic code will be shared through the Open Science Framework (OSF).
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Impacts of Prolonged Exposure to Added Sugar Warning Labels on Explicit Weight Bias: a Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07346001
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 24-0901b
- Conditions
- Nutrition, Diet Interventions
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 543 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of North Carolina, Chapel HillUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 16 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 16 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.
This study aims to examine the effects of added sugar warning labels for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on explicit weight bias and body weight attributional judgements. Participants will be assigned to view either control labels or added sugar warning labels applied on SSBs in an experimental store. Participants will shop for beverages in the store and take a computer survey during four visits to the store, spaced approximately one week apart.
Detailed description
This study aims to determine whether applying added sugar warnings on sugary drinks impacts explicit weight bias and body weight attributional judgements. Approximately 543 adults (ages 18 and older) who have bought at least one SSB in the past week will attend four in-person visits at an experimental store, spaced approximately one week apart. Participants will be randomized to see either neutral control labels or added sugar labels on SSB containers during their visits to the experimental store. At each study visit, participants will shop for beverages in the store and take a computer survey. Explicit weight bias and attribution of responsibility for body weight will be assessed via the computer surveys at the first and last visit.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control label | Other | Behavioral: Control label |
| Added sugar warning | Experimental | Behavioral: Added sugar warning |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- 18 years and older
- Bought sugary drinks from a store at least once during the past week
- Willing to attend 4 in-person study appointments
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Living in the same household as someone else in the study
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Control labelThe control label will display a neutral, square-shaped barcode. Labels will be placed on the front of SSB containers in the experimental store. | Behavioural | Control label |
| Added sugar warningThe added sugar warning will be octagon-shaped and will state "HIGH IN ADDED SUGAR." Warnings will be placed on the front of SSB containers in the experimental store. | Behavioural | Added sugar warning |
Primary outcome
Explicit weight bias, mean score
Time frame: Assessed via survey after exposure to intervention (i.e., shopping task) 2 times approximately 4 weeks apart (i.e., in visits 1 and 4)
Explicit weight bias will be measured by survey through seven items. Items will present participants with pairs of antonyms and ask that they select the box between antonyms that they feel best describes their feelings and beliefs about people with obesity: (1) lazy - hard-working, (2) no will power - has will power, (3) good self - control - poor self-control, (4) active - inactive, (5) self-indulgent - self-sacrificing, (6) dislikes food - likes food, (7) undereats - overeats. Response options, which will be presented as 5 boxes between antonyms, will be coded in a categorical 1-5 range, where higher scores represent higher endorsement of a stereotype that contributes to weight bias. Each participant's responses to each item will then be averaged across the seven items to obtain their final score on the outcome in a 1-5 range, where higher scores represent higher explicit weight bias.
1 secondary outcome
Body weight attributional judgements, mean score
Time frame: Assessed via survey after exposure to intervention (i.e., shopping task) 2 times approximately 4 weeks apart (i.e., in visits 1 and 4).
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Apr 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan will be shared prior to data collection. After data collection and analysis, a de-identified version of individual participant data and the analytic code will be shared through the Open Science Framework (OSF).
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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.
Aline D'Angelo Campos, PhD, MPP principal investigator
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Added sugar warning in people with Nutrition and Diet Interventions, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 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 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Apr 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 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Aline D'Angelo Campos, PhD, MPP (9199663215, adangelo-campos@unc.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Explicit weight bias, mean score (time frame: Assessed via survey after exposure to intervention (i.e., shopping task) 2 times approximately 4 weeks apart (i.e., in visits 1 and 4)). 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 16 Apr 2026.