Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Nov;51(5):664-672.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.07.010. Epub 2016 Sep 8.

The Influence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Warnings: A Randomized Trial of Adolescents' Choices and Beliefs

Eric M VanEpps  1 , Christina A Roberto  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The Influence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Warnings: A Randomized Trial of Adolescents' Choices and Beliefs

Eric M VanEpps et al. Am J Prev Med. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Introduction: California, New York, and the cities of San Francisco and Baltimore have introduced bills requiring health-related warning labels for sugar-sweetened beverages. This study measures the extent to which these warning labels influence adolescents' beliefs and hypothetical choices.

Design: Participants completed an online survey in which they chose a beverage in a hypothetical vending machine task, rated perceptions of different beverages, and indicated interest in coupons for beverages. Data were collected and analyzed in 2015.

Setting/participants: A total of 2,202 demographically diverse adolescents aged 12-18 years completed the online survey.

Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions: (1) no warning label; (2) calorie label; (3-6) one of four text versions of a warning label (e.g.

, safety warning: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay).

Main outcome measures: Hypothetical choices, perceptions of beverages, interest in coupons, and endorsement of warning label policies were assessed.

Results: Controlling for frequency of beverage purchases, significantly fewer adolescents chose a sugar-sweetened beverage in three of the four warning label conditions (65%, 63%, and 61%) than in the no label (77%) condition. Adolescents in the four warning label conditions chose fewer sugar-sweetened beverage coupons and believed that sugar-sweetened beverages were less likely to help them lead a healthy life and had more added sugar compared with the no label condition.

Conclusions: Health-related warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverages improved adolescents' recognition of the sugar content of such beverages and reduced hypothetical choices to buy sugar-sweetened beverages.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Different label conditions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
CONSORT flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Han E, Powell LM. Consumption patterns of sugar-sweetened beverages in the United States. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013;113(1):43–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2012.09.016. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kit B, Fakhouri T, Park S, Nielsen S, Ogden C. Trends in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among youth and adults in the United States: 1999–2010. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;98(1):180–188. http://dx.doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.112.057943. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Te Morenga L, Mallard S, Mann J. Dietary sugars and body weight: systematic review and meta analyses of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies. BMJ. 2013:346. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e7492. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ludwig DS, Peterson KE, Gortmaker SL. Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet. 2001;357(9255):505–508. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04041-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sohn W, Burt BA, Sowers MR. Carbonated soft drinks and dental caries in the primary dentition. J Dent Res. 2006;85(3):262–266. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/154405910608500311. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types