Delays to Influence Snack Choice (DISC)

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02359916
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: February 10, 2015
• Results First Posted: January 26, 2018
• Last Update Posted: February 23, 2018
• Sponsor: Rush University Medical Center
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Brad Appelhans, Rush University Medical Center

Study Description

Brief Summary:

The pervasiveness of high-calorie, nutrient-poor snacks in the environment is believed to have contributed to the epidemic levels of obesity and cardiometabolic disease in the U.S. This project tests whether a novel snack vending machine system that uses brief time delays to reduce the immediacy of reward from unhealthy snacks will improve the healthfulness of snack choices. If successful, this project will identify a new environmental intervention that could contribute substantially to obesity and cardiometabolic disease prevention efforts in schools, worksites, and other settings.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment
Food Choice	Other: Time delays on delivery of less healthy snacks; Other: 25%/$0.25 discount on healthy snacks; Other: 25%/$0.25 tax on less healthy snacks

Detailed Description:

Environmental interventions that address the high availability of unhealthy snacks in the environment are needed to prevent a large projected increase in the incidence of obesity and cardiometabolic disease in the U.S. Prior studies from the investigators group and others suggests that the human preference for immediate gratification from food drives dietary overconsumption, but this knowledge has not yet translated to more effective dietary intervention strategies. This project tests whether a novel snack vending machine system that uses brief time delays to reduce the immediacy of reward from unhealthy snacks will improve the healthfulness of snack choices. This study uses an experimental design to compare brief time delays, two forms of 25% differential pricing, and time delays combined with both forms of 25% differential pricing on their ability to increase purchasing of healthy snacks. Test machines will be placed in existing, high-volume vending locations, and each of these five experimental conditions will run for roughly four weeks. Additionally, baseline purchasing under no intervention will be monitored for four weeks before and four weeks after the five experimental conditions. Specific Aim 2 compares the effects of these five interventions against baseline on the proportion of total vending sales from healthy snacks. Specific Aim 3 tests whether time delays or differential pricing harm overall vending machine sales in the test machines. This study not only tests a compelling theory about the effects of time delays and immediate reward on food choice, but evaluates the efficacy and feasibility of a novel intervention to improve the healthfulness of snack choices in worksites, schools, and other settings.

Study Design

• Study Type: Observational
• Actual Enrollment: 32662 participants
• Observational Model: Ecologic or Community
• Time Perspective: Cross-Sectional
• Official Title: Time Over Money? A Novel System to Influence Snack Machine Choices
• Study Start Date: June 2015
• Actual Primary Completion Date: August 2016
• Actual Study Completion Date: August 2016

Groups and Cohorts

Group/Cohort	Intervention/treatment
A; Snacks sold under equal pricing, no delays
B; Healthier snacks sold at 25% or $0.25 discount, no delays	Other: 25%/$0.25 discount on healthy snacks
C; Less healthy snacks sold at equal pricing with delays	Other: Time delays on delivery of less healthy snacks
D; Healthy snacks sold at 25% or $0.25 discount, plus delays on less healthy snacks	Other: Time delays on delivery of less healthy snacks; Other: 25%/$0.25 discount on healthy snacks
E; Less healthy snacks sold at 25% or $0.25 higher price, no delays	Other: 25%/$0.25 tax on less healthy snacks
F; Less healthy snacks sold at 25% or $0.25 higher price, plus delays	Other: Time delays on delivery of less healthy snacks; Other: 25%/$0.25 tax on less healthy snacks
G; Snacks sold under equal pricing, no delays

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. Proportion of Healthy Snacks Purchased [ Time Frame: 28 weeks per vending location ]
   For each experimental condition, we will calculate the proportion of healthy vs unhealthy snacks sold over 4 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. Total Daily Vending Revenue in US$/Day [ Time Frame: Number of days per condition were as follows - Baseline: 119 days, Discount only: 59 days, Delay only: 68 days, Delay + Discount: 49 days, Tax only: 73 days, Delay + Tax: 60 days ]
   Total vending machine revenue under each condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child, Adult, Older Adult
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This is an environmental intervention. No subjects will be recruited or enrolled.

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Not applicable

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not applicable

Contacts and Locations

Locations

United States, Illinois

Rush University Medical Center

Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612

Sponsors and Collaborators

Rush University Medical Center

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Bradley M Appelhans, PhD; Associate Professor

More Information

Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

Appelhans BM, French SA, Olinger T, Bogucki M, Janssen I, Avery-Mamer EF, Powell LM. Leveraging delay discounting for health: Can time delays influence food choice? Appetite. 2018 Jul 1;126:16-25. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.03.010. Epub 2018 Mar 15.

• Responsible Party: Brad Appelhans, Associate Professor, Rush University Medical Center
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02359916
• Other Study ID Numbers: 13012802
• First Posted: February 10, 2015
• Results First Posted: January 26, 2018
• Last Update Posted: February 23, 2018
• Last Verified: January 2018