Message Framing and Policy Support for Front-of-package Labeling

Effects of Message Framing on Policy Support for Front-of-package Nutrition Labeling Among Latino and Limited English Proficiency Populations.

This study aims to assess whether different message framing about front-of-package labeling policies elicits more policy support than the control (no framing) among Latino and limited English proficiency populations. The study also seeks to identify which message framing elicits the most policy support.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Diet, Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Exposure to information framing message; Behavioral: Exposure to healthier choices framing message; Behavioral: Exposure to industry framing message

Detailed Description

Participants will complete a between-subjects online randomized experiment. Participants will be randomized to 1 of 4 arms: 1) No framing (control), 2) Information framing, 3) Healthier choices framing, and 4) Industry framing. In each arm, participants will view 1 message developed for their randomly assigned arm and indicate their policy support.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 4000
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Marissa G Hall, PhD; Phone Number: (919) 445-1310; Email: mghall@unc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
      • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health
      • Contact: Marissa G Hall; Phone Number: 919-445-1310; Email: mghall@unc.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Identifying as Latino or Hispanic
• Ages 18-55 years old
• Residing in the United States

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not identifying as Latino or Hispanic
• Less than 18 or greater than 55 years old
• Not residing in the United States

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control (No framing); Participants will view one message about the front-of-package labeling policy. The message will display the same introductory sentence as all experimental arms, but it will not include a framed message about the objective of the front-of-package labeling policy.
Experimental: Information framing; Participants will view one message that frames the objective of the front-of-package labeling policy as providing nutritional information.	Behavioral: Exposure to information framing message; The information framing message presents the objective of the front-of-package labeling policy as providing nutritional information.
Experimental: Healthier choices framing; Participants will view one message that frames the objective of the front-of-package labeling policy as encouraging consumers to make healthier choices.	Behavioral: Exposure to healthier choices framing message; The healthier choices framing message presents the objective of the front-of-package labeling policy as encouraging consumers to make healthier choices.
Experimental: Industry framing; Participants will view one message that frames the objective of the front-of-package labeling policy as encouraging the food industry to make healthier products.	Behavioral: Exposure to industry framing message; The industry framing message presents the objective of the front-of-package labeling policy as encouraging the food industry to make healthier products.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Support for the front-of-package labeling policy, proportion	Policy support will be assessed with 1 item: "How much would you support or oppose this policy?" This item will be measured on a 4-point scale ranging from (1) "Strongly oppose this policy" to (4) "Strongly support this policy", where higher scores indicate higher support for the front-of-package labeling policy. The final outcome will be dichotomized so that 0=Oppose this policy and 1=Support this policy.	During exposure to intervention (i.e., message about policy), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Collaborators: Duke University; Stanford University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Marissa G Hall, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 28, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 28, 2024
• First Posted (Estimated): March 6, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): March 6, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 28, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: front-of-package labeling; policy support
• Other Study ID Numbers: 24-0300c

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan will be shared prior to data collection. After data collection and analysis, a de-identified version of individual participant data and the analytic code will be shared through the Open Science Framework (OSF).
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: The Study Protocol and SAP will be available by mid-March 2024 (prior to data collection). IPD and analytic code will become available after data collection and analysis.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Open access.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No