Ensaff, H orcid.org/0000-0003-4582-5244, Homer, M orcid.org/0000-0002-1161-5938, Sahota, P et al. (3 more authors) (2015) Food Choice Architecture: An Intervention in a Secondary School and its Impact on Students’ Plant-based Food Choices. Nutrients, 7 (6). pp. 4426-4437. ISSN 2072-6643
Abstract
With growing evidence for the positive health outcomes associated with a plant-based diet, the study’s purpose was to examine the potential of shifting adolescents’ food choices towards plant-based foods. Using a real world setting of a school canteen, a set of small changes to the choice architecture was designed and deployed in a secondary school in Yorkshire, England. Focussing on designated food items (whole fruit, fruit salad, vegetarian daily specials, and sandwiches containing salad) the changes were implemented for six weeks. Data collected on students’ food choice (>218 796 transactions) enabled students’ (980 students) selections to be examined. Students’ food choice was compared for three periods: baseline (29 weeks); intervention (six weeks); and post-intervention (three weeks). Selection of designated food items significantly increased during the intervention and post-intervention periods, compared to baseline (baseline, 1.4%; intervention 3.0%; post-intervention, 2.2%) χ2(2) = 68.1, p < 0.001. Logistic regression modelling also revealed the independent effect of the intervention, with students 2.5 times more likely (p < 0.001) to select the designated food items during the intervention period (p < 0.001), compared to baseline. The study’s results point to the influence of choice architecture within secondary school settings, and its potential role in improving adolescents’ daily food choices.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015, The Authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | food choice; adolescents; school nutrition; choice architecture; intervention |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Education (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Food Science and Nutrition (Leeds) > FSN Nutrition and Public Health (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 05 Jun 2015 15:04 |
Last Modified: | 26 Oct 2020 17:40 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu7064426 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/nu7064426 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:86774 |