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NCT Number: NCT07768462

Young Adult Food Messaging Experiment

The primary objective of this study is to identify the food counter-marketing messages (i.e., messages that describe deceptive marketing tactics used by food companies) that are perceived as most effective among young adults.

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Key information

Conditions

Diet Quality Behavior Communication Young Adult Health

Age range

18 year–29 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

Participants will complete a within-subjects, randomized experiment in which they view and rate messages describing deceptive marketing tactics used by food companies to sell unhealthy products.

Messages cover five topics: (1) lying about unhealthy products being healthy, (2) engineering foods to be addictive, (3) covering up evidence about the harms of consuming unhealthy products, (4) targeting groups, (5) piggybacking on social causes to promote products. Each topic is presented in five framing variants: an unframed version and four values-based frames that connect the message to a value (e.g., authenticity, fairness). Participants also view one control message, for a total of 26 messages (5 topics × 5 framing variants, plus 1 control).

Topic order is randomized across participants; within each topic, the five framing variants are presented consecutively in random order.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 18-29 years
  • Reside in the United States
  • Consume at least 5-6 servings per week of sugary drinks and 5-6 servings per week of sweet and salty snacks

Exclusion criteria

  • Younger than 18 or older than 29 years
  • Reside outside of the United States
  • Consume less than 5-6 servings per week of sugary drinks or less than 5-6 servings per week of sweet and salty snacks

Treatment and study plan

Lying about unhealthy foods being healthy

Behavioral

Participants will view 5 messages about how food companies promote unhealthy foods as healthy.

Engineering foods to be addictive

Behavioral

Participants will view 5 messages about how food companies engineer foods to be addictive.

Targeting groups

Behavioral

Participants will view 5 messages about how food companies target some groups to sell their unhealthy products.

Piggybacking on social causes

Behavioral

Participants will view 5 messages about how food companies promote their unhealthy products by piggybacking on popular social causes.

Covering up the evidence about the harms of unhealthy foods

Behavioral

Participants will view 5 messages about how food companies cover up evidence about the harms of their unhealthy products.

Control

Behavioral

Participants will view 1 control message about fire safety.

Primary outcomes

  1. Perceived message effectiveness for discouraging consumption of unhealthy foods

    Time frame: The survey will take up to 15 minutes

    The study will assess perceived message effectiveness for discouraging consumption of sugary drinks and processed snacks with 1 item: "This message discourages me from wanting to consume sugary drinks and processed snacks." Response options for all items will range from "Not at all" (coded as 1) to "A great deal" (coded as 5). Higher scores indicate higher perceived message effectiveness. The survey will measure perceived message effectiveness immediately after participants are exposed to each message.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Amanda Food Policy Lab Study Team

CONTACT

[email protected]

408-598-2672

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Stanford University

Other

Collaborators

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

Registry information

Official study title

An Experiment Evaluating the Effectiveness of Counter-marketing Food Messages Among Young Adults

Important dates

Study start
2027
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Aug 17, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 17, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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