Using Single and Combined Nudge Strategies to Promote Healthier Beverage Intake Among College Students

May 29, 2026 updated by: Yuan He, Nanjing Medical University
The primary objective of this study was to examine whether three nudging strategies influence beverage consumption behavior among Chinese university students. These interventions included health warning messages, hedonic labeling, and a combination of health warning and hedonic labeling. A between-subjects experimental design with a single factor was employed to assess the effects of these strategies on students' choices between sugar-sweetened and sugar-free beverages, thereby evaluating their effectiveness in promoting healthier beverage selections.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

As the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and chronic diseases continues to escalate, excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has emerged as a growing public health concern globally. One approach to reducing beverage intake while conserving resources is the utilization of nudge strategies. Nudge strategies, characterized by their low cost and ease of implementation, facilitate individuals in making more accurate and beneficial choices in a predictable manner, through subtle interventions that do not prohibit any options or significantly alter incentives. This study will be conducted in a classroom setting, where participants will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: a no-nudge control group, a health warning group, a hedonic labeling group, and a combined health warning plus hedonic labeling group.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

1000

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • China
    • Jiangsu
      • Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, 210000
        • Nanjing Medical University

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • college students
  • willing to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

none

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
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control
In this group, no nudge interventions were implemented, only data were collected.
Experimental: choice architecture (health warning Information)
The platform presented information outlining the potential health risks associated with excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
Behavioral: choice architecture
Showing the various harms that can come from long-term excessive consumption of sugary beverages on the platform.
Behavioral: choice architecture
The platform shows the hedonic information about sugar-free beverages.
Behavioral: choice architecture
The platform shows both hedonic information about sugar-free beverages and information on the various harms of long-term excessive sugary beverage consumption.
Experimental: choice architecture (hedonic label Information)
Students are exposed to hedonic information about sugar-free beverages on the Wenjuanxing platform to "nudge" students towards healthier choices
Behavioral: choice architecture
Showing the various harms that can come from long-term excessive consumption of sugary beverages on the platform.
Behavioral: choice architecture
The platform shows the hedonic information about sugar-free beverages.
Behavioral: choice architecture
The platform shows both hedonic information about sugar-free beverages and information on the various harms of long-term excessive sugary beverage consumption.
Experimental: choice architecture (hedonic label Information+health warning Information)
Students receive both health-risk messages about sugary drinks and hedonic information about sugar-free beverages on the Wenjuanxing platform, combining two nudging strategies to promote healthier choices.
Behavioral: choice architecture
Showing the various harms that can come from long-term excessive consumption of sugary beverages on the platform.
Behavioral: choice architecture
The platform shows the hedonic information about sugar-free beverages.
Behavioral: choice architecture
The platform shows both hedonic information about sugar-free beverages and information on the various harms of long-term excessive sugary beverage consumption.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The proportion (or likelihood) of selecting sugar-free beverages
Time Frame: day 1
The probability of choosing a sugar-free beverage (binary outcome: sugar-sweetened = 0, sugar-free = 1) across five menu-selection tasks.
day 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Participants' Perceived Intrusiveness of Nudges
Time Frame: day 1
A 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) was employed. Higher scores indicate greater perceived intrusiveness.
day 1
Participants' Support for Nudges
Time Frame: day 1
A 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) was employed. Higher scores indicate greater support for the nudging strategy
day 1
Participants' Perceived effectiveness of Nudges
Time Frame: day 1
A 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) was employed. Higher scores indicate greater perceived effectiveness.
day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Nanjing Medical University

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 (Estimated)

May 29, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 9, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 29, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2023 - SR - 052

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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