Nudges offer a promising tool to reduce sugary drink intake among children who are most at risk for diet-related disease. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of online store nudges on purchases of sugary drinks for children in lower-income households. Caregivers with lower-income were recruited to an online shopping experiment and instructed to spend $10-$30 on three beverages for their child aged 1-5 years. Participants were randomized to navigate an online supermarket in its standard version (n = 1106) or a version with nudges (n = 1135), including a product placement nudge (i.e. placing healthy beverages in prominent positions) and a swap nudge (i.e. offering a swap of water, plain milk and/or 100% fruit juice upon selection of sugary drinks). On average, participants purchased 1887 (SD = 2113) and 620 (SD = 1528) calories from sugary drinks per basket in the control and experimental conditions, respectively. Model-based results indicate that those in the experimental condition purchased 1267 (95% CI: 1419, 1114) fewer calories from sugary drinks, and fewer grams of total sugar (β = -253.5 g (95% CI: -286.3, -220.6)) and added sugar (β = -287.8 g (95% CI: -323.1, -252.5)) purchased from sugary drinks. In conclusion, nudges may be an effective, acceptable, scalable strategy for leading caregivers in lower-income households to purchase fewer sugary drinks for their children.
Published: September 2024
ID #: 283-4133
Journal: Pediatric Obesity
Authors: Rummo PE, Seet C, Reimold AE, Duffy EW, Prestemon CE, Hall MG, Bragg MA, Taillie LS
Age Groups: Adults and Families, Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Focus Areas: Beverages, Food Retail
Keywords: Grocery store, Sugar-sweetened beverages, Water
Resource Type: Journal Article
Related Research
April 2021
Using Online Food Retail ‘Nudges’ to Promote Healthier Beverage Intake among Low-Income Children
This study seeks to develop and test the impact of “nudges” in an online grocery store on purchases of fruit drinks and healthier substitutes among a sample of low-income parents of children ages 1-5 years. The goal of this project is to reduce fruit drink intake among low-income children, including those whose parents participate in MoreMay 2026
Beyond Added Sugar Reduction: A Narrative Review of Policies to Address Nonsugar Sweeteners
This perspective provides policymakers, advocates and researchers with a description of proposed and enacted policies that assist consumers in identifying products with nonsugar sweeteners (NSS) and/or reduce NSS exposure. Consumption of NSS is associated with multiple chronic diseases. NSS exposure is increasing as food and beverage manufacturers replace added sugars with NSS. This narrative review MoreApril 2026