None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Evidence from paper-based menus suggests that the position of items within the menu influences the frequency with which items are purchased, with items positioned first and last on the menu purchased at up to double the rate of items in the centre of the menu. The current study aims to determine whether similar principles apply online within the online school canteen setting. A cluster randomised trial will be conducted which involves re-positioning target items within the online menu of the intervention group and determining the effect on sales of those items. It is hypothesised that a higher proportion of online lunch orders in intervention schools will contain the target items (fruit and vegetable snacks) relative to online lunch orders from control schools. Six schools that currently use an online lunch ordering system will be recruited to the trial. Three schools will be randomly allocated to receive the intervention by an independent statistician using a randomised number function in excel. Intervention schools will have their online lunch order menu reviewed by a dietitian, who will identify any fruit and vegetables snack items on the menu. These items will be moved from their current position, and grouped together in a single menu category called “Fruit & Veggie Snacks” and will appear as the first food category on the online menu, and will be repeated to form the last food category on the menu. The intervention will run for a 4-week period. The primary trial outcome is the proportion of online lunch orders in intervention schools that contain any target items (“Fruit & Veggie Snacks”). The online lunch ordering system automatically captures and records all sales made through the system. This data will be analysed to determine the impact of the re-positioning intervention in intervention schools relative to control schools. The 4-week period immediately prior to intervention commencement will form the baseline period.
Interventions
Eligible schools utilising an online lunch ordering system will be randomised to receive the following intervention to their online canteen menu. All fruit and vegetable items (i.e. fresh, frozen, tinned, dried) will be grouped together in a single category by a dietitian. The category will be listed multiple times within the online menu, and will be moved to more prominent positions within the menu i.e. the first and last category of foods displayed on the online menu. Intervention schools will
Eligible schools utilising an online lunch ordering system will be randomised to receive the following intervention to their online canteen menu. All fruit and vegetable items (i.e. fresh, frozen, tinned, dried) will be grouped together in a single category by a dietitian. The category will be listed multiple times within the online menu, and will be moved to more prominent positions within the menu i.e. the first and last category of foods displayed on the online menu. Intervention schools will be required to maintain these menu changes throughout the 4-week duration of the intervention. Intervention Delivery and Duration: For schools allocated to receive the intervention, the re-designed menu will be uploaded at one time point and will remain in place for 4 weeks. Intervention Fidelity: The provider of the online canteen service will send through a mid-intervention report listing any changes that have been made to the online menu since the launch of the intervention, in order to determine intervention fidelity. Any deviations from the original intervention positioning will be corrected. Location: The online intervention will be delivered via the online lunch ordering system. Users of the system (primary school children and their parents) will access the online menu (to make their selection and pay) via their mobile devices (phone or tablet) or their computer.
Sponsors
The University of Newcastle
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
5 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Government primary schools in NSW, Australia, with an operational canteen, who have been using an online lunch ordering service with ‘Flexischools’ (provider of online lunch order services) for at least 6 months, and that process a minimum of 50 student lunch orders per month, will be eligible to participate.
Exclusion criteria
Special purpose schools catering for student with special needs (e.g. juvenile justice or schools serving hospitalized children) will be excluded due to potential differences in the provision of foods in these settings.
Outcome results
None listed