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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04919668

Effect of Gamification in an Online Grocery Store.

The overall objective of this research is to evaluate the impact of gamification on the diet quality of food choices made by American adults in an online grocery shopping experiment. Participants will shop for 12 food items from a grocery shopping list determined by the research team in a simulated online grocery store designed for this experiment. Each product has a nutritional quality score based on the Guiding Stars algorithm. The experiment tests the gamification of the nutritional quality score. Participants exposed to gamification see one to five crowns illustrating the nutritional quality of the food and a scoreboard indicating the total number of crowns from foods in the participant's shopping basket. Participants will be assigned to experimental conditions of gamification (game or no game) and a fictitious budget ($30 or $50). The investigators will test if the game and the budget affect the dietary quality of their final shopping baskets. The experiment is a 2x2 experimental design. The investigators hypothesize that the presence of gamification will change the dietary quality of participants' final shopping baskets. The investigators hypothesize that a higher budget will change the dietary quality of the final shopping basket. The investigators also hypothesize that the game and higher budget together will change the dietary quality of the final shopping basket.

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Key information

Conditions

Food Selection Behavior Behavior, Animal Behavior, Eating Feeding Behavior Food Preferences

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Tufts University

Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, United States

About this study

Participants will be assigned to one of four experimental conditions:

  • Game=No and Budget = $30
  • Game=No and Budget = $50
  • Game=Yes and Budget = $30
  • Game=Yes and Budget = $50.

Variables:

  • Game: Indicates exposure to the game (dummy variable)
  • Budget: Indicates exposure low ($30) or high ($50) budget constraint (dummy variable).
  • Total number of crowns: sum of the number of crowns associated with the 12 items included in participants' final shopping baskets (a continuous variable that ranges from 12 to 60).
  • Number of crowns: number of crowns associated with each of the 12 items included in participants' final shopping baskets separately (a continuous variable that ranges from 1 to 5).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

The investigators will exclude from the analysis:

  • Participants who had more than or less than 12 items in their final shopping cart.
  • Participants who had four or more items from the same food subcategory in the final shopping basket.
  • Participants who spent more than 120% of the budget assigned to them.
  • Aged < 18 years
  • Do not have access to a personal computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
  • Participants who were not in the US when participating in the study.

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants who had 12 items in their final shopping cart.
  • Participants who had less than four items from the same food subcategory in their final shopping basket.
  • Participants who spent 120% or less of the budget assigned to them.
  • Aged 18 or older
  • Have access to a personal computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
  • Participants who were in the US when participating in the study.

Treatment and study plan

Simulated grocery shopping exercise

Behavioral

Participants will click a link and simulate an online grocery shopping experience by selecting items for 12 grocery categories.

Primary outcomes

  1. Total number of crowns

    Time frame: One hour

    Sum of number of crowns of foods included in the final shopping basket for each participant

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of crowns

    Time frame: One hour

    Number of crowns for foods included in final shopping basket for each list item separately

Other outcomes

  1. Total Guiding Stars points

    Time frame: One hour

    Sum of Guiding Stars points from foods included in the final shopping basket for each participant

  2. Guiding Stars points

    Time frame: One hour

    Number of Guiding Stars points for foods included in final shopping basket for each list item separately

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Tufts University

Other

Collaborators

  • Duke University
  • Wal-Mart Foundation

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Gamification in an Online Grocery Store Experiment on Food Selection: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Jun 9, 2021
Registry last updated
Oct 1, 2021

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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