Gifts and goals: Behavioral nudges to improve child food choice at school
The rising childhood obesity rate calls for interventions aimed at improving food choice. We conducted a field experiment with over 1,400 children to measure the impact of interventions based on two behavioral theories: reciprocity and theories of self-control. We found that unconditional gifts (tri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier B.V.
2019
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| Online Access: | View Fulltext in Publisher |
| Summary: | The rising childhood obesity rate calls for interventions aimed at improving food choice. We conducted a field experiment with over 1,400 children to measure the impact of interventions based on two behavioral theories: reciprocity and theories of self-control. We found that unconditional gifts (triggering reciprocity) increased choice of the healthier milk by 15 percentage points. Giving the option to set a goal (an internal commitment device) increased choice of the healthier milk by 10 percentage points. Our results have implications for policy and practice, as low-cost school-based interventions may have an impact on what kids choose to eat and (by extension) on obesity. © 2019 Elsevier B.V. |
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| ISBN: | 01672681 (ISSN) |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jebo.2019.05.008 |