Background
An intake of ≥350 g of vegetables per day is recommended in Japan. However, the average intake of vegetables among adults ≥20 years is about 280 g in 2019, and the intake of young adults in their 20s, including university students, is low (about 223 g). Recently, the use of nudge strategies for behavioral change has been gaining attention. However, relatively few nudge trials for increasing vegetable intake have been conducted in Japan.
Objective
To evaluate the effectiveness of a nudge intervention for increasing vegetable intake among university students.
Study Design, Setting, Participants
The participants were university students who ate at a university cafeteria in Japan from October to November 2020. The study consisted of baseline (1 week), intervention (2 weeks), and follow-up (2 weeks) periods. As a nudge intervention, a tack board was set at the entrance of the cafeteria and it displayed the number of small bowls of vegetable dishes that were sold by putting magnets on the tack board on a real-time basis.
Measurable Outcome/Analysis
The change in the number of small bowls of vegetable dishes selected by students during the study periods were evaluated by collecting receipts. Friedman's test was used for the analysis. Awareness of the tack board and a conscious change in vegetable intake were also evaluated using self-administered questionnaires. Cochran's Q-test was used for a conscious change in vegetable intake.
Results
A total of 53 students completed the study. Among them, 67.9% students saw the tack board. However, the number of small bowls of vegetable dishes selected (P = 0.811) and consciousness of vegetable intake (P = 0.794) did not change significantly during the study period.
Conclusion
Nudge intervention in this study did not change students’ behavior significantly. Developing more attractive nudge tools for behavioral change might be needed.
Funding Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.
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Copyright
© 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc.
