The Influence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Warnings
For this review, you are asked to read and summarize the following article:
VanEpps, E. M. & Roberto, C. A. (2016). The Influence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Warnings: A Randomized Trial of Adolescents’ Choices and Beliefs. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 51(5), 664-672.
You will write a report that is approximately 1.5 to 2 pages (single spaced, approximately 750-1000 words). Your intended audience is a governmental office that is considering policy changes related to food labeling.
In your summary, be sure to address the following questions:
Why was this research conducted?
Which questions did the research seek to address? (Rather than restating each question individually, synthesize the questions into a summary about the treatments and outcomes.)
How was the research conducted? Where did data come from? How were the data analyzed?
What did the study say about the effect of the labeling choices on the percentage who chose a sugar sweetened beverage?
What conclusions were reached?
The research review will include 2 parts:
Part 1 – Summary (1 to 1.5 pages): Your paper should be structured as a narrative in paragraph form. Do not answer the questions in bulleted points, incomplete sentences, or in a disjointed manner. Instead, work on creating a story that introduces and explains the work in a coherent way. This document should be comprehensible to your intended audience (both technical and non-technical).
Part 2 – Research Question Design (1 paragraph): The study’s fourth research question is:
Do the effects of warning labels differ depending on label phrasing?
How would you rephrase this question so that it is more specific? We will focus on Figure 1's labels B) California Text and C) Weight Gain Text.
Make sure the revised question includes a comparison among these groups, a metric of performance, and a definition of improvement. Then state and justify an opinion on the smallest change in the metric that would represent a meaningful change.
Part 1 - Summary
The research study conducted by VanEpps and Roberto titled “The Influence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Warnings: A Randomized Trial of Adolescents’ Choices and Beliefs” aimed to explore the impact of different warning labels on the choices and beliefs of adolescents in relation to sugar-sweetened beverages. The research sought to address the following questions: How do warning labels affect adolescents’ choices of sugar-sweetened beverages? How do warning labels influence adolescents’ beliefs about the healthfulness of these beverages? And finally, do the effects of warning labels differ depending on the phrasing of the label?
To conduct the study, the researchers recruited participants from a diverse sample of adolescents aged 12-18 years old. The data for the study was collected through an online survey platform where participants were randomly assigned to different experimental conditions. The participants were shown different labels on sugar-sweetened beverages and were asked to make a choice between a sugar-sweetened beverage and a non-sugar-sweetened beverage. The labels used in the study varied in terms of their phrasing and included labels such as “California Text” and “Weight Gain Text.” The data collected from the survey responses was then analyzed using statistical methods.
The study found that warning labels had a significant effect on the percentage of adolescents who chose a sugar-sweetened beverage. Participants who were shown warning labels with negative health consequences were less likely to choose a sugar-sweetened beverage compared to those who were shown no warning label or a label with positive health consequences. Additionally, warning labels had an impact on adolescents’ beliefs about the healthfulness of sugar-sweetened beverages. Participants who were exposed to warning labels with negative health consequences were more likely to believe that these beverages were unhealthy compared to those who were shown no warning label or a label with positive health consequences.
Based on the findings, the study concluded that warning labels can be an effective tool in influencing adolescents’ choices and beliefs regarding sugar-sweetened beverages. The results suggest that warning labels with negative health consequences are more effective in reducing the consumption of these beverages among adolescents. The research highlights the importance of implementing clear and impactful labeling strategies to promote healthier choices among adolescents.
Part 2 - Research Question Design
Revised research question: How does the phrasing of warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverages (“California Text” vs. “Weight Gain Text”) affect the percentage of adolescents who choose these beverages?
Opinion: A meaningful change in this metric would be a minimum difference of 10% in the percentage of adolescents choosing sugar-sweetened beverages between the “California Text” and “Weight Gain Text” conditions. This threshold is justified based on the need for a significant and noticeable effect to warrant policy changes related to food labeling. A 10% difference would indicate a substantial impact on adolescents’ choices and provide support for the implementation of warning labels with more impactful phrasing.