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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06697171

Effectiveness of Conflict-of-interest Disclosures on Trust, Credibility and Transparency When Displayed on Social Media Posts From Registered Dietitians

There is limited research to inform policies and guidelines related to disclosing conflicts of interest on social media by healthcare professionals, including Registered Dietitians (RDs). This trial investigates mock social media posts by an RD to examine the impact of varying forms of conflict-of-interest (COI) disclosures. The disclosures tested are based on the Canadian Ad Standards "Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines" and are incorporated into recommendations established by the provincial dietetic regulatory bodies for RDs. Specific outcomes evaluated include the public's ability to identify a COI; trust in the RD; credibility of the RD; transparency of the social media post and; purchasing and consumption intentions of the product endorsed by an RD in the post.

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Key information

Conditions

Registered Dietitian Conflict of Interest Credibility Transparency Trust

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 0C5, Canada

About this study

This study is a randomized controlled experiment embedded within an online cross-sectional survey entitled the Canadian Nutrition and Health Survey (CNHS). A sample of 3,380 Canadian adults from all Canadian provinces (ages ≥18 years, who own a computer, and have an email address) will be recruited by Leger Marketing Inc. as part of the CNHS. Participants will be randomized to one of five experimental groups that include a mock social media post with different variations of COI reporting, based on the Ad Standards (of Canada) Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines. Each participant will be randomized to view one version (group) of the mock Instagram post, all of which feature the same RD promoting the nutritional benefits of a mock soy milk product. Participants will also have the opportunity to view the RD's Instagram account profile, which is consistent across all experimental groups. All participants will have as much time as needed to view the post and account profile.

As stated previously, the experimental groups vary by the extent to which the conflict of interest is reported (see below):

  • Group 1 Not an ad disclosure: COI disclosure includes @brandname and #NotAnAd in the narrative body of the social media post.
  • Group 2 Basic Disclosure: COI disclosure includes @brandname and #ad in the narrative body of the social media post.
  • Group 3 Basic + Paid Partnership Disclosure: COI disclosure accompanied by a branded "paid partnership" in the header and a tag for the industry partner, @brandname and #ad immediately at the beginning of the post, and #ad and #sponsored at the bottom of the narrative body of the social media post.
  • Group 4 Basic + Paid Partnership + Image label: COI disclosure includes the same characteristics as Group 3, with the addition of #ad appearing on the post image itself.
  • Group 5 Control group: is a control with no COI disclosure elements (i.e. no hashtags and only the @brandname included within the narrative body of the social media post).

The primary outcome is the ability of a participant to identify if COI disclosures exist within the social media post. The secondary outcomes include participants' trust in the RD in the social media post, credibility of the RD in the social media post, participants' buying and consumption intentions, and transparency of COI reporting by the RD. Tertiary outcomes include the participants' recommendation of the food item endorsed by the RD to others, participants' engagement with the social media post, and participants' view of the healthfulness of a product endorsed by the RD.

It is hypothesized that, compared to the control condition, participants will rate all experimental conditions as having a conflict of interest. The experimental conditions will be rated more transparent and trustworthy, with the RD in the social media post being rated as more credible, and with greater purchasing/consumption intentions.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

Participants are included if:

  • are ≥18 years
  • own a computer,
  • have an email address
  • speak/write in English/French

Treatment and study plan

Group 1 Not an ad disclosure

Other

Same social media post viewed as all other groups. @brandname in the narrative body of the social media post; #NotAnAd in the narrative body of the social media post

Group 2 Basic Disclosure

Other

Same social media post viewed as all other groups. @brandname in the narrative body of the social media post; #ad in the narrative body of the social media post

Group 3 Basic + Paid Partnership Disclosure

Other

Same social media post viewed as all other groups. COI disclosures include "paid partnership" in the header and a tag for the industry partner; @brandname and #ad immediately at the beginning of the narrative body of the social media post;

#ad and #sponsored at the bottom of the narrative body of the social media post.

Control

Other

No COI disclosure elements (i.e. no hashtags ). Only the @brandname is included within the narrative body of the social media post.

Group 4 Basic + Paid Partnership + Image label

Other

Same social media post viewed as all other groups. COI disclosures include "paid partnership" in the header and a tag for the industry partner; @brandname and #ad immediately at the beginning of the narrative body of the social media post; #ad and #sponsored at the bottom of the narrative body of the social media post; #ad (black text, white background) appears on the photo associated with the social media post

Primary outcomes

  1. Conflict of Interest

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    Participant identification of COI will be:

    • Assessed by the statement "I believe the person in the post has a conflict of interest"
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Trust

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    •Trust of the RDs post will be:

    • Assessed by the statements "I trust the person in this post" and "I believe the post is true". This is also assessed using an open-ended question.
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

  2. Credibility

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    • The RD's credibility will be:
    • Assessed by the statement "The person in this post is qualified to provide this information".
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

  3. Purchasing Intentions

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    • The participants' purchasing intentions of a product after viewing the post will be:
    • Assessed by the statement: How likely you would "Buy the food item in the post" and "I am more likely to buy a product if a Registered Dietitian has endorsed it" (both will be reviewed separately)
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Very Unlikely (1) to Very Likely (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

  4. Consumption Intentions

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    • The participants' consumption intentions of a product after seeing the RDs post will be:
    • Assessed by the statement: How likely you would "Consume the food item in the post"
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Very Unlikely (1) to Very Likely (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

  5. Transparency

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    • Transparency of the RDs post will be:
    • Assessed by the statement "The food item is being endorsed"
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

Other outcomes

  1. Recommendation

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    • Participants' recommendation a product endorsed by an RD will be:
    • Assessed by the statement "Recommend the food item in the post to others (e.g., family, friends)"
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Very Unlikely (1) to Very Likely (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

  2. Engagement with the post

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    • Participants' engagement with the social media post by an RD:
    • Assessed by the statement, "Like, comment or share this post on social media"
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Very Unlikely (1) to Very Likely (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

  3. Healthfulness

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    • Participants' view of healthfulness of a product will be:
    • Assessed by the statements, "How healthy do you think soy milk is" and "After reviewing the post, how healthy do you think soy milk is?"
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Not at all healthy (1) to Very healthy (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

  4. Frequency

    Time frame: Measured after 5-10 minutes of exposure to the social media post

    Frequency of consumption of soy milk was:

    • Assessed by the statement "How often do you have soy milk?"
    • Evaluated on a 5-point Likert Scale from Never (1) to Always (5). There is no "not applicable" option.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Comparative Effectiveness of Different Conflict-of-interest Disclosures Displayed on Social Media Posts by Registered Dietitians on Public Transparency, Trust and Purchasing Intentions: A Randomized Controlled Experiment

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Nov 20, 2024
Registry last updated
Aug 6, 2025

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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