Diet ModificationSmartcartNCT03748056
Targeted Food Incentives to Improve Diet Quality and Health Among Adults
A study testing Targeted incentives and Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition education in people with Diet Modification and Diet Habit, run by University of Rhode Island at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to test whether individual-level targeted price incentives for healthier foods can improve the diet quality of grocery purchases made by adults in comparison to a "one size fits all" approach. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Diet Modification, Diet Habit
- What is being tested?
- Targeted incentives and Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition education
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 224 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 10 Sep 2018to 1 May 2019
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 years or older
- Speaks English
- Non-store employee
- Primary shopper in the household
- Purchases at least half of weekly groceries at supermarket
- Not pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant before April 2019
Who cannot join
- Younger than 18 years of age
- Does not speak English
- Employee at supermarket
- Pregnant or planning to become pregnant before April 2019
- Not primary shopper for household
- Purchases less than half of weekly groceries at supermarket
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island, 02881
About this study
Official title: Individually-targeted Incentives, Diet Quality, and Health Outcomes Among Adults
The purpose of this study is to test whether individual-level targeted price incentives for healthier foods can improve the diet quality of grocery purchases made by adults in comparison to a "one size fits all" approach. To test this, the investigators plan to implement a 8-month randomized controlled cross-over trial. The intervention group will receive a small discount for using their loyalty card and weekly coupons for healthier foods (e.g. fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and seafood, low-fat dairy) that are selected based on the individual's past purchase history, dietary preferences, their baseline diet quality, and their estimated likelihood of using the coupon. Individualized coupons will be automatically sent to customers' loyalty cards each week, and separate emails with appropriate nutrition education and information about the coupons will be sent to participants weekly. The control group will receive a small discount for using their loyalty cards during the first phase of the study (3-months), occasional untargeted coupons, and weekly emails with untargeted nutrition education. Following phase1, there will be a 2-month washout period, and then the intervention and control groups will cross over for the remaining 3-months of the study. The investigators will collect purchase data from all participants as well as food frequency questionnaires and other self-reported behavioral and health questions at baseline, after phase 1 completion, and after phase 2 completion. The investigators hypothesize that participants in the intervention group will meaningfully improve the overall quality of their food purchases (measured using the Grocery Purchase Quality Index-2016) as well as their overall diet quality (measured using the Healthy Eating Index 2010.
Read the detailed description
A detailed description of Eligibility and outcome measures is entered elsewhere
- Conditions
- Diet Modification, Diet Habit
- Being tested
- Targeted incentives, Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition education
- Medical subject headings
- Feeding Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Targeted incentivesBehavioural
Participants receiving individually-targeted incentives will receive weekly coupons for healthier foods that are informed by their purchase history, responses to behavioral and health questions, food preferences, and need for improvement in different categories
Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition educationBehavioural
All participants will receive a nominal discount on all groceries for using their loyalty card and nutrition education through weekly emails.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Targeted incentives arm | Experimental | The interventions received by the experimental group include: 1) weekly emails with targeted coupons for healthier products, 2) weekly emails with targeted nutrition education, and 3) and a nominal discount on grocery purchases for using their loyalty card Receives: Behavioral: Targeted incentives; Behavioral: Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition education |
| Usual care arm | Active comparator | The interventions included under "usual care" include 1) untargeted nutrition education, 2) occasional untargeted coupons for healthier products, and 3) a nominal discount on their grocery purchases for using their loyalty card. These interventions are only received by participants randomized to the usual care arm (rather than the entire population of shoppers), and will allow for testing whether targeting discounts and nutrition education improves the diet quality of purchases in comparison to untargeted approaches. Receives: Behavioral: Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition education |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Likelihood of purchasing targeted products
Within produce, whole grain cereals \& breads, lean meats, low-fat dairy, and beverages, will look at the proportion of expenditures (i.e. percent of dollars) in those categories before and after the intervention between treatment and control group.
Measured: 3- 6- and 9-month changes within and between the intervention and control groups
Grocery Purchase Quality Index (GPQI) 2016
The GPQI is a validated measure for scoring the quality of household grocery purchases by comparing the percent spent within different food categories with recommended spending.
https://utah.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/the-grocery-purchase-quality-index-2016-an-innovative-approach-to
Measured: 3, 6- and 9-month changes in the GPQI-16 and its components within and between the intervention and control groups
Secondary outcomes (3)
Healthy Eating Index (HEI) -2010 for the primary shopper
The HEI-10 is a validated measure of individual-level diet quality that measures compliance with US Dietary recommendations.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24453128
Measured: 3, 6- and 9-month changes in the HEI-10 and its components within and between the intervention and control groups
Percent expenditures within targeted categories
The investigators will compute the percent of shopping dollars people spend in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, lean meat, and seafood.
Measured: 3, 6- and 9-month changes in percent spending in targeted categories within and between the intervention and control groups
Self-reported height and weight used to compute body mass index (BMI)
The investigators will compute body mass index from self-reported weight in pounds and height in inches (weight (lbs) * 703/height (in)/height (in)
Measured: 3, 6- and 9-month changes in BMI
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 Nov 2018
- Study start10 Sep 2018
- Primary completion1 May 2019
- Study completion1 May 2019
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (8)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Diet ModificationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 224 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Rhode Island
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Maya Vadiveloo, Principal investigator, University of Rhode Island
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03748056
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1240194-3
- Other IDs
- AWD05956 , Project 0006418
- Acronym
- Smartcart
- Status last verified
- Sep 2021
- First submitted
- 18 Jul 2018
- Last updated
- 1 Oct 2021
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Damsbo-Svendsen M, Frost MB, Olsen A. A review of instruments developed to measure food neophobia. Appetite. 2017 Jun 1;113:358-367. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.02.032. Epub 2017 Mar 6.
PubMed 28268200VAN TRIJP HCM, STEENKAMP J-BEM. Consumers' variety seeking tendency with respect to foods: Measurement and managerial implications. Eur Rev Agric Econ. 1992;19(2):181-195. doi:10.1093/erae/19.2.181.
Grea Krause C, Beer-Borst S, Sommerhalder K, Hayoz S, Abel T. A short food literacy questionnaire (SFLQ) for adults: Findings from a Swiss validation study. Appetite. 2018 Jan 1;120:275-280. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.08.039. Epub 2017 Sep 11.
PubMed 28912107Lichtenstein, Ridgway, and Netemeyer. (1993) Price perception Scales. Handbook of Marketing Scales.
University of Minnesota. Project EAT - Epidemiology & Community Health Research. http://www.sphresearch.umn.edu/epi/project-eat/#EAT3. Accessed June 14, 2018.
Blumberg SJ, Bialostosky K, Hamilton WL, Briefel RR. The effectiveness of a short form of the Household Food Security Scale. Am J Public Health. 1999 Aug;89(8):1231-4. doi: 10.2105/ajph.89.8.1231.
PubMed 10432912Vadiveloo MK, Parker HW, Thorndike AN. Participant Characteristics Associated with High Responsiveness to Personalized Healthy Food Incentives: a Secondary Analysis of the Randomized Controlled Crossover Smart Cart Study. J Nutr. 2023 Jan 14;152(12):2913-2921. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxac197.
PubMed 36040345Vadiveloo M, Guan X, Parker HW, Perraud E, Buchanan A, Atlas S, Thorndike AN. Effect of Personalized Incentives on Dietary Quality of Groceries Purchased: A Randomized Crossover Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e2030921. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.30921.
PubMed 33566105
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Oct 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Individually-targeted Incentives, Diet Quality, and Health Outcomes Among Adults
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03748056
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Smartcart / 1240194-3
- Conditions
- Diet Modification, Diet Habit
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 224 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Rhode IslandUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 10 Sep 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 May 2019 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 May 2019 (actual)
- First posted
- 20 Nov 2018 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to test whether individual-level targeted price incentives for healthier foods can improve the diet quality of grocery purchases made by adults in comparison to a "one size fits all" approach. To test this, the investigators plan to implement a 8-month randomized controlled cross-over trial. The intervention group will receive a small discount for using their loyalty card and weekly coupons for healthier foods (e.g. fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and seafood, low-fat dairy) that are selected based on the individual's past purchase history, dietary preferences, their baseline diet quality, and their estimated likelihood of using the coupon. Individualized coupons will be automatically sent to customers' loyalty cards each week, and separate emails with appropriate nutrition education and information about the coupons will be sent to participants weekly. The control group will receive a small discount for using their loyalty cards during the first phase of the study (3-months), occasional untargeted coupons, and weekly emails with untargeted nutrition education. Following phase1, there will be a 2-month washout period, and then the intervention and control groups will cross over for the remaining 3-months of the study. The investigators will collect purchase data from all participants as well as food frequency questionnaires and other self-reported behavioral and health questions at baseline, after phase 1 completion, and after phase 2 completion. The investigators hypothesize that participants in the intervention group will meaningfully improve the overall quality of their food purchases (measured using the Grocery Purchase Quality Index-2016) as well as their overall diet quality (measured using the Healthy Eating Index 2010.
Detailed description
A detailed description of Eligibility and outcome measures is entered elsewhere
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Targeted incentives arm | Experimental | Behavioral: Targeted incentives, Behavioral: Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition educationThe interventions received by the experimental group include: 1) weekly emails with targeted coupons for healthier products, 2) weekly emails with targeted nutrition education, and 3) and a nominal discount on grocery purchases for using their loyalty card |
| Usual care arm | Active comparator | Behavioral: Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition educationThe interventions included under "usual care" include 1) untargeted nutrition education, 2) occasional untargeted coupons for healthier products, and 3) a nominal discount on their grocery purchases for using their loyalty card. These interventions are only received by participants randomized to the usual care arm (rather than the entire population of shoppers), and will allow for testing whether targeting discounts and nutrition education improves the diet quality of purchases in comparison to untargeted approaches. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- 18 years or older
- Speaks English
- Non-store employee
- Primary shopper in the household
- Purchases at least half of weekly groceries at supermarket
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Younger than 18 years of age
- Does not speak English
- Employee at supermarket
- Pregnant or planning to become pregnant before April 2019
- Not primary shopper for household
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Targeted incentivesParticipants receiving individually-targeted incentives will receive weekly coupons for healthier foods that are informed by their purchase history, responses to behavioral and health questions, food preferences, and need for improvement in different categories | Behavioural | Targeted incentives arm |
| Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition educationAll participants will receive a nominal discount on all groceries for using their loyalty card and nutrition education through weekly emails. | Behavioural | Targeted incentives arm, Usual care arm |
Primary outcome
Likelihood of purchasing targeted products
Time frame: 3- 6- and 9-month changes within and between the intervention and control groups
Within produce, whole grain cereals \& breads, lean meats, low-fat dairy, and beverages, will look at the proportion of expenditures (i.e. percent of dollars) in those categories before and after the intervention between treatment and control group.
Grocery Purchase Quality Index (GPQI) 2016
Time frame: 3, 6- and 9-month changes in the GPQI-16 and its components within and between the intervention and control groups
The GPQI is a validated measure for scoring the quality of household grocery purchases by comparing the percent spent within different food categories with recommended spending. https://utah.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/the-grocery-purchase-quality-index-2016-an-innovative-approach-to
3 secondary outcomes
Healthy Eating Index (HEI) -2010 for the primary shopper
Time frame: 3, 6- and 9-month changes in the HEI-10 and its components within and between the intervention and control groups
Percent expenditures within targeted categories
Time frame: 3, 6- and 9-month changes in percent spending in targeted categories within and between the intervention and control groups
Self-reported height and weight used to compute body mass index (BMI)
Time frame: 3, 6- and 9-month changes in BMI
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Oct 2021.
- Background: PubMed 28268200Damsbo-Svendsen M, Frost MB, Olsen A. A review of instruments developed to measure food neophobia. Appetite. 2017 Jun 1;113:358-367. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.02.032. Epub 2017 Mar 6.
- BackgroundVAN TRIJP HCM, STEENKAMP J-BEM. Consumers' variety seeking tendency with respect to foods: Measurement and managerial implications. Eur Rev Agric Econ. 1992;19(2):181-195. doi:10.1093/erae/19.2.181.
- Background: PubMed 28912107Grea Krause C, Beer-Borst S, Sommerhalder K, Hayoz S, Abel T. A short food literacy questionnaire (SFLQ) for adults: Findings from a Swiss validation study. Appetite. 2018 Jan 1;120:275-280. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.08.039. Epub 2017 Sep 11.
- BackgroundLichtenstein, Ridgway, and Netemeyer. (1993) Price perception Scales. Handbook of Marketing Scales.
- BackgroundUniversity of Minnesota. Project EAT - Epidemiology & Community Health Research. http://www.sphresearch.umn.edu/epi/project-eat/#EAT3. Accessed June 14, 2018.
- Background: PubMed 10432912Blumberg SJ, Bialostosky K, Hamilton WL, Briefel RR. The effectiveness of a short form of the Household Food Security Scale. Am J Public Health. 1999 Aug;89(8):1231-4. doi: 10.2105/ajph.89.8.1231.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 36040345Vadiveloo MK, Parker HW, Thorndike AN. Participant Characteristics Associated with High Responsiveness to Personalized Healthy Food Incentives: a Secondary Analysis of the Randomized Controlled Crossover Smart Cart Study. J Nutr. 2023 Jan 14;152(12):2913-2921. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxac197.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 33566105Vadiveloo M, Guan X, Parker HW, Perraud E, Buchanan A, Atlas S, Thorndike AN. Effect of Personalized Incentives on Dietary Quality of Groceries Purchased: A Randomized Crossover Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e2030921. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.30921.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Maya Vadiveloo principal investigator
University of Rhode Island
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Targeted incentives and Nominal loyalty card discount and nutrition education in people with Diet Modification and Diet Habit, run by University of Rhode Island at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Oct 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Likelihood of purchasing targeted products (time frame: 3- 6- and 9-month changes within and between the intervention and control groups). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03748056, which also lists 8 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Oct 2021.