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The impact of aversive labelling on approach and avoidance behaviour towards foods: an online study

The impact of aversive labelling on approach and avoidance behaviour towards energy-dense snack foods: an online study

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ISRCTN
Registry ID
ISRCTN16746619
Enrollment
1333
Registered
2020-08-10
Start date
2020-08-20
Completion date
Unknown
Last updated
2022-06-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Excess calorie consumption Not Applicable

Interventions

Sponsors

University of Cambridge
Lead Sponsor

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged over 18 years old 2. Like milk chocolate and consume it at least once a week 3. Basic computer literacy, i.e. able to use a computer for simple tasks 4. Able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Non-fluent English speaker

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Measured at a single time point: 1. Implicit motivation assessed by reaction time (ms) using the Manikin task: The reaction time (RT) will be measured from the onset of a stimulus until the first key press. Trials with errors as well as RTs below 200 ms and above 1500 ms will be excluded from the RT analysis. 2. Food choice assessed using the food choice task: Two hypothetical food selection tasks will be completed. The selection will comprise eight items, including the four chocolate bars and four healthier snacks. Participants will be shown the selection and asked to select the food product they would most like to eat now

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Measured at a single time point: 1. Implicit motivation measured by counting errors and reaction time (ms) in the Go, No-go task : The number of commission errors (falsely pressing the space bar in no-go trials), omission errors (falsely not pressing the space bar in go trials) and mean RTs for correct go responses will be calculated for the chocolate bars and the stationery items in each condition. Implicit motivation will be assessed by an approach bias towards the stimuli. A higher number of commission errors, a lower number of omission errors and a lower (therefore faster) RT indicate an approach bias, which in turn is indicative of a higher implicit motivation towards the stimuli. 2. Explicit liking and wanting will be assessed using a 100mm visual analogue scale to two questions Liking: “How much do you like this chocolate bar generally?” Wanting: “How much do you want one of these chocolate bars right now?” For control stimuli the questions will read: “How much do you like this product generally?” and “How much do you want this product right now?”. A mean liking and wanting score will be calculated for the chocolate bars and the control stimuli

Countries

England, United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactEmily Pechey
ep472@medschl.cam.ac.uk+44 (0)1223 762569

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026