Environmentally labeled menus on fast food and overall diet quality

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

In a real-world setting, 450 adults in the Baltimore/Washington, DC area will be randomized to view either a control QR code label or traffic-light environmental harm labels on two alternating fast-food menus. Participants will order one lunch per week for seven weeks through a study ordering site, with meals delivered the next day. Diet quality will be measured at baseline and endline using 24-hour recalls collected before and after the intervention. The study uses computer-generated randomization and online ordering to simulate a typical fast-food experience while testing label impact on choices.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged 18 to 64 years
* Consumes fast food two or more times per month
* Willing to eat meat
* Lives or works within the greater Washington, D.C./Baltimore metropolitan area, defined as the counties and county equivalents within the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Core Based Statistical Areas (excluding Jefferson County, West Virginia)
* Has access to the internet during the daytime
* Has access to an internet-capable device (smartphone, tablet, or computer)
* Able to send and receive phone calls and text messages at a unique primary phone number (number if not affiliated with a separate prospective or enrolled participant record)
* Available to receive a weekly lunch delivery one day per week (Tuesday-Friday, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm) for seven weeks at a consistent address within the sample frame (this includes screening for potentially disruptive travel plans during ordering period)
* Within the delivery zone for both restaurants in the study
* Willing to complete training on lunch ordering procedures
* Willing and able to complete dietary recalls and surveys

Exclusion Criteria:

* Under 18 years of age
* Over 64 years of age
* Consumes fast food fewer than two times per month
* Pescatarian, vegetarian, or vegan (due to menu content)
* Lives and works outside of the greater Washington, D.C./Baltimore metropolitan area
* Lacks access to the internet during the daytime
* Lacks access to an internet-capable device
* Unable to send and receive phone calls and text messages at a unique primary phone number (phone number is affiliated with a separate prospective or enrolled participant record)
* Lives or works outside the delivery zone for either or both study restaurants
* Unavailable to receive seven weeks of consecutive lunch deliveries on a selected day Tuesday through Friday between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm at a consistent address within the sample frame
* Unwilling to complete training on lunch ordering procedures
* Unwilling or unable to complete dietary recalls and surveys
* Fails verification via Cloudfare Turnstile check when accessing REDCap Interest Survey
* Answers the hidden bot-detection question embedded in the Interest Survey

Where it's running

• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Julia Wolfson, PhD, MPP — Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Study coordinator: Nina Carr, MPH, MBA
• Email: ncarr6@jhu.edu
• Phone: 240-405-2823

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.