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ObesityNCT05639335

Effects of Characters on Parents' Perceptions of Breakfast Cereals

A study testing Experimental Characters in people with Obesity, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Purpose: To test how the presence of characters on breakfast cereals affects parents' perceptions and purchase intentions for their children. Participants: ~1,000 parents of children ages 2-12 Procedures: After completing a screener and reviewing a consent form, participants will complete two unrelated experimental… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Obesity
What is being tested?
Experimental Characters
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
1,017 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
13 Dec 2022to 3 Jan 2023
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

  • Age 18 or older
  • Parent or guardian of at least one child between the ages of 2-12

Who cannot join

  • <18 years old
  • is not the parent or guardian of a child between the ages of 2-12

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516

Other trials in United States

About this study

Purpose: To test how the presence of characters on breakfast cereals affects parents' perceptions and purchase intentions for their children.

Participants: ~1,000 parents of children ages 2-12 Procedures: After completing a screener and reviewing a consent form, participants will complete two unrelated experimental studies. Participants will then move on to this study, where they will be randomized into conditions and view three breakfast cereal box images, with or without characters. They will then be asked a series of questions about their children and their perceptions about the breakfast cereals

Read the detailed description

The use of characters, such as cartoons, is a prolific form of child-oriented marketing and may have particularly persuasive power in children. Parents and caregivers - who make most food purchases for children - are also persuaded by child-oriented marketing practices. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of characters on parents' perceptions and purchase intentions of a breakfast cereal product.

Setting: This is an online study using Qualtrics. Recruitment: Participants will be recruited by Qualtrics panel company, a survey research firm through which participants are recruited voluntarily.

Informed Consent: Participants will read a written consent document that includes information about the study's purpose, expectations, and possible risks and benefits. Participants will acknowledge that they have read and agreed to the terms by clicking forward.

Randomization: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1.) control (breakfast cereal boxes with no characters) or 2.) characters (breakfast cereal boxes with a brand and at least one licensed character). Participants will view three brands (Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops).

Assessment: Using an online platform (Qualtrics), participants will complete an eligibility screener prior to the first experiment. They will then complete two unrelated experimental studies before beginning the current study. Participants will then be randomized into a condition and shown an image of the three cereal brands in random order. After each brand exposure, participants will be asked to respond to a series of questions measuring the following constructs: purchase intentions, perceived healthfulness, and perceived child appeal. After viewing all three brands and answering the aforementioned questions, participants will be queried on their perceptions of their child's perceived food-fussiness. Demographic information, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, and income will be gathered at the end of the study.

Conditions
Obesity
Being tested
No Character Control, Experimental Characters
Medical subject headings
Obesity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • No Character ControlOther

    Participants will view images of three breakfast cereals (Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops) containing no characters.

  • Experimental CharactersOther

    Participants will view images of three breakfast cereals (Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops) containing their respective brand characters (e.g., Tony the Tiger) and a licensed character recently featured on these cereal brands (e.g., Buzz Lightyear).

Study groups in NCT05639335
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
No Character ControlOtherParticipants will view images of three breakfast cereals (Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops) containing no characters.
Receives: Other: No Character Control
CharacterExperimentalParticipants will view images of three breakfast cereals (Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops) containing their respective brand characters (e.g., Tony the Tiger) and a licensed character recently featured on these cereal brands (e.g., Buzz Lightyear).
Receives: Other: Experimental Characters

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Purchase intentions

    The primary outcome will be purchase intentions, measured using the following item: "How likely would you be to buy this cereal to your [age]-year-old child in the next month?" using a 5-point likert-style response scale ranging from "not at all likely" (1) to "extremely likely" (5).

    Measured: During ~15 minute online survey

Secondary outcomes (2)

  1. Perceived healthfulness

    Perceived healthfulness will be measured using the following item: "How healthy or unhealthy would it be for your [age] year old child to eat this cereal every day?" with a 5-point likert-style response scale ranging from "very unhealthy"(1) to "very healthy."(5)

    Measured: During ~15 minute online survey

  2. Perceived child appeal

    Perceived child appeal will be measured using three items adapted from previous research.

    Item 1: "How much do you think your child would enjoy eating this cereal?" (5-point likert scale, ranging from "not at all" (1) to "a great deal" (5)) Item 2: "How much do you think your [age]-year-old child would like the taste of this cereal?" (5-point likert scale, ranging from "not at all" (1) to "a great deal" (5)) Item 3: "How much do you think your [age]-year-old child would want to eat this cereal?" (5-point likert scale, ranging from "not at all" (1) to "a great deal" (5))

    Measured: During ~15 minute online survey

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Dec 2022
  2. Study start13 Dec 2022
  3. Primary completion3 Jan 2023
  4. Study completion3 Jan 2023

Resources

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
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
1,017 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05639335
Sponsor's protocol ID
21-3135
Status last verified
Nov 2022
First submitted
28 Nov 2022
Last updated
17 Jan 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: A deidentified dataset and analysis syntax that underlie the publication of the main study findings will be uploaded to a public website upon publication of the paper.

Publications

  • Hall MG, Lazard AJ, Grummon AH, Mendel JR, Taillie LS. The impact of front-of-package claims, fruit images, and health warnings on consumers' perceptions of sugar-sweetened fruit drinks: Three randomized experiments. Prev Med. 2020 Mar;132:105998. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.105998. Epub 2020 Jan 23.

    PubMed 31982477

  • Liem DG, Zandstra LH. Children's liking and wanting of snack products: Influence of shape and flavour. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2009 Jul 2;6:38. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-6-38.

    PubMed 19573228

  • Dial LA, Musher-Eizenman DR. Power of packaging: Evaluations of packaged fruits and vegetables by school-age children in the U.S. Appetite. 2020 May 1;148:104591. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.104591. Epub 2020 Jan 9.

    PubMed 31927069

  • Wardle J, Guthrie CA, Sanderson S, Rapoport L. Development of the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2001 Oct;42(7):963-70. doi: 10.1111/1469-7610.00792.

    PubMed 11693591

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Experimental Characters in people with Obesity, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 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 2 inclusion and 2 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 17 Jan 2023. 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?

Purchase intentions (time frame: During ~15 minute online survey). 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 NCT05639335, which also lists 4 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 17 Jan 2023.

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