Weight Stigma
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this experiment is to examine the effects of three different types of front-of-package warning labels for sugar-sweetened beverages on perceived weight stigmatization, as well as the effect of making such labels more weight-neutral. The main questions this experiment aims to answer are: * Are certain types of front-of-package warning labels perceived as more stigmatizing than others? * Are more weight-neutral versions of front-of-package warning labels perceived as less stigmatizing than their regular versions? * Is there a trade-off between label effectiveness in discouraging product consumption and perceived weight stigmatization? Additionally, this experiment also aims to answer the following questions: * Does exposure to certain types of front-of-package warning labels lead to changes in participants' weight bias? * Are changes in participants' weight bias as a result of label exposure mediated by attribution of personal responsibility for body weight, pathogen disgust, or perceived social consensus?
Detailed description
Participants will be randomly assigned to see one of four types of labels: control labels, nutrient warning labels, text-only health warning labels, or graphic health warning labels. Participants will then see an image depicting different types of fictional sugar-sweetened beverages carrying the label type that they were assigned to. Participants will see this image twice, in random order, each time differing in whether the label is weight-neutral or not (i.e., whether the label references calories/obesity or not). Each time, participants will answer survey questions about the label. Last, participants will answer survey questions measuring their weight bias and potential mediating variables.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALNutrient warning labels
In random order, participants in this arm will see an image of fictional sugar-sweetened beverages carrying: * Labels that read high in sugars and high in calories * A label that reads high in sugars
BEHAVIORALText-only health warning labels
In random order, participants in this arm will see an image of fictional sugar-sweetened beverages carrying: * A label that reads Drinking beverages with added sugars contributes to obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay * A label that reads Drinking beverages with added sugars contributes type 2 diabetes and tooth decay
BEHAVIORALGraphic health warning labels
In random order, participants in this arm will see an image of fictional sugar-sweetened beverages carrying: * A label that reads Drinking beverages with added sugars contributes to obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay and contains graphics illustrating obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay * A label that reads Drinking beverages with added sugars contributes type 2 diabetes and tooth decay and contains graphics illustrating type 2 diabetes and tooth decay
BEHAVIORALControl labels
In random order, participants in this arm will see an image of fictional sugar-sweetened beverages carrying: * A neutral bar code label * A neutral quick response (QR) code label (not scannable)
Sponsors
Stanford University
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Between-subjects intervention: label type (4 arms); Within-subjects intervention: regular or weight-neutral version of label (2 versions).
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* At least 21 years of age. * Residing in the US.
Exclusion criteria
-Involved in any pre-testing.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived weight stigmatization, mean score | Immediately after exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online study survey. | Stigmatization of people with obesity will be measured by survey through a three-item scale. Items will inquire about how much participants perceive the label to (1) stigmatize people with obesity, (2) promote negative stereotypes about people with obesity, and (3) portray people with obesity in a disrespectful manner. Response options will be on a 1 to 5 scale, with higher scores representing a higher perceived weight stigmatization by the study labels. Each participant's responses to each item will be combined to obtain their final score on the outcome. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived message effectiveness, mean score | Immediately after exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online study survey. | How much the labels discourage participants from wanting to consume the products will be measured by survey. Response options will be on a 1 to 5 scale, with higher scores representing a higher perceived message effectiveness. |
| Weight bias, mean score | Immediately after exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online study survey. | Weight bias will be measured by survey through a seven-item scale. Items will present participants with adjective pairs and ask that they select the box closest to the adjective that they feel best describe their feelings and beliefs about people with obesity: (1) lazy-industrious, (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 will be 5 boxes between adjectives, which will be coded on a 1 to 5 scale so that higher scores represent higher weight bias. Each participant's responses to each item will be combined to obtain their final score on the outcome. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed