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Using visual stimuli to promote healthy snack choices among children

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  • Benito-Ostolaza, Juan Miguel
  • Echavarri, Rebeca
  • Garcia-Prado, Ariadna
  • Oses-Eraso, Nuria

Abstract

Most interventions against obesity use information to persuade people to change their behavior, with moderate results. Because eating involves automatic routines, new approaches have emerged appealing to non-reflective cognitive processes. Through a randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the impact of visual stimuli (positive and negative) on children's snack-choices at school. Results showed that the negative stimulus had no effect, while the positive stimulus increased the probability among girls of choosing a healthy snack. We also found that children with excess weight had a larger baseline probability of choosing the healthy snack than those without. We conclude that happy emojis, used to nudge non-reflective processes, can steer children towards healthy choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Benito-Ostolaza, Juan Miguel & Echavarri, Rebeca & Garcia-Prado, Ariadna & Oses-Eraso, Nuria, 2021. "Using visual stimuli to promote healthy snack choices among children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:270:y:2021:i:c:s0277953620308066
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113587
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Child obesity; Visual stimuli; Randomized controlled trial;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General

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