Sugary Drink Labeling Study

February 16, 2026 updated by: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
This study aims to examine the effects of added sugar warning labels on sugary drinks. Participants will be assigned to view either added sugar warning labels or control labels, applied on sugary drinks in an experimental store. Participants will shop for beverages in the store and take a computer survey at 4 visits spaced approximately 1 week apart.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

This study aims to determine whether new added sugar warnings on sugary drinks lead to decreased amount of added sugar purchased from sugary drinks. The investigators aim to enroll approximately 543 adults ages 18 and older who have consumed at least one sugary drink in the past week. Participants will attend 4 in-person study visits at the study experimental store, spaced approximately 1 week apart. Participants will be randomized to 1 of 2 trial arms at the time of scheduling. At the first visit, participants will provide written informed consent. At each study visit, participants will shop for beverages in the store and take a computer survey. Participants will view sugary drinks in the store labeled per their trial arm. Researchers will record in-store purchases, and other self-reported measures will be assessed via the computer surveys.

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 (Estimated)

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.
543

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27514
        • Recruiting
        • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Marissa Hall, PhD
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years and older
  • Bought sugary drinks from a store at least once during the past week
  • Willing to attend 4 in-person study appointments

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Living in the same household as someone else in the study

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: Prevention
  • 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.
Other: Control label
Behavioral: Control label
The control label will display a barcode in a square shape. These labels will be placed on the front of sugary drink containers in the experimental store.
Experimental: Added sugar warning
Behavioral: Added sugar warning
The added sugar warning will say "High in added sugar." The warning will be in an octagon-shaped label. These warnings will be placed on the front of sugary drink containers in the experimental store.

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
Amount of added sugars purchased from sugary drinks
Time Frame: Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.
Measured using purchase data for sugary drinks, defined as drinks that contain at least 20% of the daily value for added sugar. The total amount of added sugars (in grams) in all sugary drinks purchased will be calculated.
Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.

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
Amount of total sugars purchased from all beverages
Time Frame: Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.
Measured using purchase data for all drinks. The total amount of total sugars (in grams) in all drinks purchased will be calculated.
Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.
Volume of sugary drinks consumed in the past 7 days
Time Frame: Assessed 1 time, approximately 3 weeks after enrollment.
Measured using survey items adapted from the BEV-Q 15 measure. The survey items assess frequency of consumption of sugary drinks and typical volume of sugary drinks consumed in the past 7 days. Researchers will multiply frequency by typical volume to estimate the total volume of sugary drinks consumed in the past 7 days, reported in fluid ounces.
Assessed 1 time, approximately 3 weeks after enrollment.
Intentions to reduce sugary drink consumption
Time Frame: Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.
Measured using 3 survey items: 1) "How interested are you in drinking fewer sugary drinks in the next week?" 2) "How much do you plan to drink fewer sugary drinks in the next week?" and 3) "How likely are you to drink fewer sugary drinks in the next week?". Response options are on a 5-point scale with lowest endorsement coded as 1 and highest endorsement coded as 5. Researchers will average responses to the 3 items to create a scale score. Higher scores indicate greater intentions to reduce sugary drink consumption.
Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.
Forgoing sugary drinks
Time Frame: Assessed approximately 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks after enrollment.
Measured using 5 survey items asking participants how often they chose to forgo sugary drinks during the study (e.g., "In the last 7 days, how often have you stopped yourself from having sugary drinks because you wanted to cut back?"). Response options are on a 5-point scale ranging from "Never" coded as 0, to "10 or more times", coded as 10. Researchers will average responses to the 5 items. Higher scores indicate greater frequency of forgoing sugary drinks.
Assessed approximately 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks after enrollment.
Learning something new
Time Frame: Assessed once, approximately 3 weeks after enrollment.
Measured using 1 survey item: "Did you learn something new from the labels?" where response options are "Yes" (coded as 1) and "No" (coded as 0).
Assessed once, approximately 3 weeks after enrollment.
Correct identification of beverages high in added sugar
Time Frame: Assessed once, on the day of enrollment.
The survey will show 6 drinks in random order, asking participants "Is this product high in sugar?" with response options of "No", "Yes", and "Don't know." 4 of the drinks will be high in added sugar and 2 will not be high in added sugar. Participants will be coded as "yes" (coded as 1) for correctly identifying beverages high in added sugar if they answer all 6 questions correctly.
Assessed once, on the day of enrollment.
Thinking about harms of sugary drinks
Time Frame: Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.
Measured using 1 survey item: "How much did the labels make you think about the health problems caused by sugary drinks?" The 5-point response scale ranges from "Not at all" (coded as 1) to "A great deal" (coded as 5). Higher scores indicate greater thinking about harms of sugary drinks.
Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.
Perceived healthfulness of sugary drinks
Time Frame: Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.
Measured using 1 survey item: "How healthy or unhealthy are sugary drinks?" The 5-point response scale ranges from "Very unhealthy" (coded as 1) to "Very healthy" (coded as 5). Higher scores indicate greater perceived healthfulness of sugary drinks.
Assessed once a week for up to 4 weeks, starting on the day of enrollment.

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 North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

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: Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • Principal Investigator: Marissa Hall, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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.
February 16, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
February 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
February 1, 2028

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).
December 11, 2025

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.
December 17, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

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.
December 19, 2025

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.
February 17, 2026

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.
February 16, 2026

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.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 24-0901a
  • R01DK135743 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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