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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07103967

Investigating the Effects of Calorie Information and Serving Size of Alcohol Products on Alcohol Consumption.

The present study aims to investigate whether alcohol consumption is reduced when participants are shown calorie information of alcohol products, compared with when calorie information is absent. We also wish to see whether alcohol consumption levels are reduced when changing the serving sizes available to participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Obesity and Overweight Alcohol Body Weight Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Liverpool

Liverpool, L83UH, United Kingdom

About this study

We will examine the effect of alcohol calorie information on calorie and alcohol unit consumption in a semi-naturalistic real-world experiment by randomising pub quiz evenings to alcohol calorie information vs. absence of calorie information (control). Because current evidence for alcohol calorie information from online hypothetical choice experiments suggests any impact on alcohol consumption may be null or very small, we will compare and benchmark the size of any potential effect of alcohol calorie information to another public health alcohol intervention known to reduce alcohol consumption (alcohol serving size). We will achieve this by also randomizing evenings to normal sized servings of alcohol (control) vs. reduced serving sizes. In addition to examining effects of interventions on what people drink and eat during the pub quiz, we will examine alcohol and energy intake after the pub quiz to probe for potential compensatory behaviour in response to interventions. Because it is currently unclear how useful consumers find alcohol information when implemented in real-world conditions, we will also examine the extent to which participants perceive the interventions to be effective.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Consume alcohol on a regular basis (at least one UK unit per week)
  • Be aged 18 or over

Exclusion criteria

  • Have a current or previously diagnosed alcohol use disorder

Treatment and study plan

Calorie information manipulation

Behavioral

The intervention will be administered by changing the information presenting to participants at point-of-choice when ordering alcoholic drinks and bar snacks. When alcohol calorie information is present, participants will see the calorie content of alcohol products on menus and at other point-of-choice locations. When it is not present, this information will be absent.

Serving size manipulation

Behavioral

The intervention will be administered by changing the availability of alcoholic drinks. When serving sizes are reduced, participants will only be able to order 2/3 pint of 1/2 servings of beer, and 125 ml servings of wine. When serving sizes are not reduced, participants will be able to order 1 pint servings or 1/2 servings of beer, and 175 ml or 125 ml servings of wine.

Primary outcomes

  1. Alcohol units

    Time frame: Duration of the evening (approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes)

    Amount of alcohol units consumed in the evening.

  2. Total calorie consumption

    Time frame: Duration of the evening (approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes)

    The amount of calories consumed during the evening.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Perceived message effectiveness

    Time frame: The day after the intervention

    Participants will be asked to rate whether the menu they were presented with, affected feelings of concern towards alcohol.

  2. Follow-up energy intake

    Time frame: Immediately after the intervention

    Participants will be asked to record the food and drink consumed immediately after leaving the pub quiz, for the rest of the evening.

  3. Bar snack consumption (calories)

    Time frame: Duration of the evening (approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes)

    The amount of snacks consumed during the evening will be measured.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Liverpool

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Investigating the Effect of Alcohol Serving Size and Calorie Information on Alcohol Consumption: A Real-world Experiment

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Aug 5, 2025
Registry last updated
Feb 19, 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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