Healthy In-Store Marketing Study

March 5, 2021 updated by: Karen Glanz, University of Pennsylvania

The Impact of Healthy Food Marketing Strategies in Supermarkets

Using a cluster randomized controlled design, this study will evaluate effects of in-store healthy food marketing strategies on sales and purchase of specific healthier items in six product categories (milk, frozen entrees, beverage checkout coolers, salty snacks, bread and cheese); and examine the effects of changes in in-store food marketing environments on sales of healthier foods. If these strategies are found to be effective, they could be used widely to encourage healthy retail sales, complement food access initiatives, and reduce health disparities in obesity and other diseases. Supermarkets will be the unit of randomization, intervention, and analysis.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

As the prevalence of obesity has increased, public health experts have increasingly focused on the environments that shape overeating and unhealthy food choices. Retail grocery stores are pivotally positioned to influence choices and favorably affect energy balance. Greater availability of healthier foods, if translated to health-promoting purchases, can positively affect diet quality among those at greatest risk for obesity- low-income, ethnic minorities.

The aims of the proposed study are:

  1. To evaluate, in a cluster randomized controlled trial design, effects of in-store healthy food marketing strategies on sales and purchase of healthier items in six product categories (milk, frozen entrees, beverage checkout coolers, bread, salty snacks and cheese); and
  2. To evaluate the association of changes in supermarket food marketing environments with changes in sales of specific healthier food items in the same six product categories; and
  3. To examine the relationships between neighborhood characteristics and changes in sales and purchases of healthier items in the six product categories.

Investigators hypothesize that sales of targeted products will be significantly higher, and that more health-focused food marketing environments will be associated with higher sales of healthy food items.

The study will be conducted in 32 supermarkets in urban, low-income, high-minority neighbor-hoods in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. Intervention strategies will include prime placement, increased visibility of healthier products, call-out signs, and taste-testing for milk. Control stores will be assessment-only. Supermarket chains will help implement the strategies and provide data on sales of targeted products. Interventions will be conducted for 2 years, with an emphasis on scalability and long-term sustainability. The primary outcome measures of purchasing will be weekly sales per store for each product. Individual purchasing will be assessed in a cohort of shoppers by interviews and shopping receipts. The Grocery Marketing Environment Assessment (GMEA) tool will be used to assess marketing environments.

The research team completed a randomized pilot study of a 6-month intervention in eight supermarkets, which demonstrated the impact of the interventions on three food categories. The proposed study will provide an expanded and extended, larger-scale, rigorous test of novel and widely applicable strategies to encourage healthy retail sales, complement increased-access initiatives, and reduce health disparities in obesity and related diseases.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
33

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • University of Pennsylvania

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Do most of your food shopping at the store where they are recruited
  • Speak English
  • Be the main household shopper

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No exclusion criteria defined

    • Eligible stores will be at least 35,000 square feet in size, and be located in urban or suburban communities with at least 50% of households below the state median income.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intervention stores
Supermarkets will be the unit of randomization, intervention, and analysis. During randomization, stores are paired by size and percent sales of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding. The intervention will last for 2 years, and will consist of in-store marketing of healthier (lower calorie) products through placement and promotion strategies in 6 food and beverage categories: milk; frozen meals; beverages in checkout coolers; bread; salty snacks; and cheese.
Other: Intervention stores

In-store marketing strategies will focus on placement and promotion of healthier items (lower calorie options) in the milk, frozen food, beverage checkout cooler, bread, salty snacks, and cheese sections of the store.

Intervention efforts in the dairy section promote lower calorie milk (skim, 1%, and 2%), while diminishing the presence of whole milk. The visual order of the milk displays will be changed, and the number of facings, or the fronts of packages the consumer can see, of whole milk will be decreased by 30% while increasing the facings of the lower calorie milk. In the other product categories, target products will be moved to eye level and the number of facings will be increased.

Call-out signs will be placed by the target products that list the name and price of the product. No health information or claims will be included. Signage will be rotated monthly to increase the chances that customers will notice them.
No Intervention: Non-intervention stores
No intervention administered. Supermarkets will be the unit of randomization, intervention, and analysis. During randomization, stores are paired by size and percent sales of WIC and SNAP funding. The non-intervention stores will not receive an intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Weekly sales data by units sold
Time Frame: up to 36 months
Store IT managers will provide weekly sales data for the targeted products. The data will include units sold of all targeted products (higher calorie versions and lower-calorie alternatives).
up to 36 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Marketing environment in the grocery stores using GMEA
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 21 months, 24 months
Observations will examine the food promotion environment in supermarkets, including the presence of promotional displays. Summary scores of the amount and visibility of product promotions will be computed for each target product, for other measured products (e.g., produce, cereal), and for the store as a whole using the Grocery Marketing Environment Assessment (GMEA) tool.
Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 21 months, 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Pennsylvania

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Delaware

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, University of Pennsylvania

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 19, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 30, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 13, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 16, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 9, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 5, 2021

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 820635

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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