Start Date: November 2011

ID #: 69292

Principal Investigator: Sara Bleich, PhD

Co-Principal Investigator: Bradley Herring, PhD

Organization: Johns Hopkins University

Funding Round: Round 6

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Providing easily understandable caloric information may be a low-cost strategy for lowering overall caloric intake among groups at high risk for obesity, particularly Black and Hispanic adolescents ages 12 to 18. The aims of the study are to: 1) examine if providing caloric information on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) significantly reduces the frequency and volume of SSB purchases; 2) identify the most effective modes of communicating caloric information about SSBs; and 3) examine if providing caloric information has a persistent effect on behavior post-intervention. Investigators will conduct focus groups to identify the most promising caloric messages to evaluate. For the intervention, six corner stores in Baltimore City will be randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions for a one-month period during which adolescent beverage purchases data will be collected. Investigators will additionally use the street-intercept method to conduct exit interviews with one-quarter of the study sample. In the post-intervention phase, investigators will collect beverage purchase information at the six stores to test if prior exposure of caloric information has a persistent effect on beverage purchasing behavior among the target population.

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