Published: October 2012

ID #: 63148

Journal: Prev Med

Authors: Wansink B, Just DR, Payne CR, Klinger MZ

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This article describes two studies on how attractive naming can be implemented in schools to encourage healthier eating in a cost-effective and scalable way. In Study 1, researchers found that children ate more of their carrots when the carrots were named “X-ray Vision Carrots” than when they were named “Food of the Day” or unnamed. In Study 2, researchers found that elementary students were more likely to take a hot vegetable when they were given fun or attractive names. In combination, these studies demonstrated that using an attractive name to describe a healthy food effectively and persistently increased healthy food consumption in elementary schools cafeterias, and that an attractive name intervention is scalable for little to no cost.

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