The Role of Information in Health Policy Preferences

Last registered on October 28, 2024

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Role of Information in Health Policy Preferences
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014558
Initial registration date
October 21, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 28, 2024, 12:56 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)
PI Affiliation
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-10-28
End date
2024-12-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study tests the effects of information about the health risks related to sugar consumption on people's preferences toward policies that limit the consumption of high-sugar-content products. We apply an online survey experiment to a sample of 2,000 Mexican adults. We randomly assign participants to three groups: a control group, a treatment group with low-intensity information, and a treatment group with high-intensity information. Moreover, we test if the effect of information interacts with household budget constraints.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Cabrera , Francisco, Emmanuel Chavez and Juliana Unda. 2024. "The Role of Information in Health Policy Preferences." AEA RCT Registry. October 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14558-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Our intervention presents participants with information related to sugar consumption. Some participants will be randomly assigned to see a high-sugar-content warning label on product brands. Other participants will also see information about the health risks of consuming high-sugar-content products. In addition, participants will be assigned to different hypothetical household budgets.
Intervention (Hidden)
This experiment involves a randomized controlled trial with 2,000 respondents. They will be randomly divided into three equally sized groups: a control group and two treatment groups. Each group will be shown six categories of food and beverage products.

1. Control Group: Participants in the control group will be shown three brands for each of the six product categories: whole dairy milk (1 liter), soda (600 ml), juice (1 liter), pre-packaged salads (250 grams), wheat bread (680 grams), and snack cakes. The products will be presented without warning labels or additional information about sugar content. The respondents will select one brand from each category, as they would in a regular shopping scenario, with no emphasis on the health implications of sugar consumption.

2. Label Treatment Group: Participants in this group will follow the same structure as the control group, being shown three brands for each of the six product categories. However, one of the three brands for each product will display a high-sugar-content warning label. No additional contextual information or health data will be provided. The focus is on understanding how the mere presence of a label impacts consumer choices when selecting products.

3. Label and Information Treatment Group: Participants in this group will first receive information about the health risks associated with sugar consumption. This information will be presented as questions to minimize experimenter demand effects. Participants in this group will see the following questions:

"Sodas regularly contain 27 grams of sugar per 250 ml. How many grams of sugar do you think a 250 ml glass of freshly squeezed natural orange juice contains? If you do not know the exact answer, just give us your best guess."
• 5 grams
• 12 grams
• 17 grams
• 29 grams

"Did you know that 250 ml of freshly squeezed natural orange juice can contain up to 29 grams of sugar? This is similar to the sugar content of a high sugar content beverage such as a soda (a 250 ml soda contains 27 grams of sugar)."
• Yes, I knew
• No, I did not know

"Did you know that drinking beverages with high sugar content in the morning generates glucose spikes that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes?"
• Yes, I knew
• No, I did not know

"Did you know that drinking beverages with high sugar content could increase your chances of dying prematurely by 24%, due to the uncontrolled sugar levels they generate?"
• Yes, I knew
• No, I did not know

After seeing this information, participants in this group will be presented with the same brands and product categories as the previous groups. One brand in each product category will have a high-sugar-content warning label, and the respondents will pick a brand from each category.

Products and choices: each participant in the study will be asked to choose from the following product categories, with three brands in each:
- Whole Dairy Milk (1 liter): Lala, Alpura, Santa Clara
- Soda (600 ml): 7up, Pepsi, Mirinda
- Juice (1 liter): Boing, Del Valle, Jumex
- Pre-packaged Salads (250 grams): Organic, Vegetalistos, Eva
- Wheat Bread (680 grams): Bimbo, Oroweat, Wonder
- Snack Cakes: Gansito, Chocorroles, Pingüinos

After the participants across all groups pick one brand from each product category, we will randomly assign them to a low-budget or a high-budget group. The low-budget group will receive the following information:

"Suppose your total household income is 20 percent lower than your actual household income. According to your previous answer, your household's income is [declared amount] monthly pesos. This 20% cut would amount to your household income being [80% of the declared amount] monthly pesos."

The high-budget group will receive the following information:

"Suppose your total household income is 20 percent lower than your actual household income. According to your previous answer, your household's income is [declared amount] monthly pesos. This 20% cut would amount to your household income being [120% of the declared amount] monthly pesos."

Then, we will ask respondents to pick one brand from each of the six product categories mentioned above. This time, we include the prices of each brand.
Intervention Start Date
2024-10-28
Intervention End Date
2024-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Our primary outcome variables are the attitudes towards the policies that Mexico has put in place to limit consumption of high sugar content products: special taxes on these products, the banning of the sale of these products in schools, and the banning of marketing these products to children.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The primary outcomes of this study focus on measuring respondents' attitudes toward public health policies regulating high-sugar-content foods and beverages. The outcomes will be constructed from responses to questions regarding their level of agreement or disagreement with various policy proposals and their support for specific tax measures. The following details outline each outcome and the questions used to construct them:

1. Perceived importance of health issues
These outcomes measure respondents' perception of diabetes and obesity as problems in Mexico.

"Do you agree or disagree that diabetes is a problem in Mexico?"
- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Slightly disagree
- Slightly agree
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree
- Indifferent

"Do you agree or disagree that obesity is a problem in Mexico?"
Same responses as the previous question.

2. Support for sugar-related taxes
These outcomes measure respondents' support for implementing special sugary food and beverage taxes.

"Do you oppose or favor having a special tax on beverages with high sugar content?"
- Strongly oppose
- Somewhat oppose
- Slightly oppose
- Slightly favor
- Somewhat favor
- Strongly favor
- Indifferent

"Do you oppose or favor having a special tax on solid foods with high sugar content?"
Same responses as the previous question.

"What percentage of a special tax on high-sugar beverages do you think should be imposed?"
Free response (numeric).

"In other countries, beverages with high sugar content are subject to taxes ranging from 0% to 75% of the price of the beverage. What percentage of tax do you think should be applied to sugary beverages?"
Free response (numeric).

"Based on your previous responses, do you consider the tax you suggested for sugary beverages to be a:"
- High tax
- Moderate tax
- Low tax

"What percentage of a special tax on high-sugar solid foods do you think should be imposed?"
Free response (numeric).

"In other countries, high-sugar solid foods are subject to taxes ranging from 0% to 15% of the price of the food. What percentage of tax do you think should be applied to high-sugar solid foods?"
Free response (numeric).

"Based on your previous responses, do you consider the tax you suggested for high-sugar solid foods to be a:"
- High tax
- Moderate tax
- Low tax

3. Attitudes toward high-sugar-content products regulations
These questions measure respondents' general attitudes toward Mexico's public policies regulating high-sugar-content products.

"Do you oppose or favor banning the sale of solid foods with high sugar content in schools?"
- Strongly oppose
- Somewhat oppose
- Slightly oppose
- Slightly favor
- Somewhat favor
- Strongly favor
- Indifferent

"Do you oppose or favor banning the marketing of foods and beverages with high sugar content to minors?"
Same responses as the previous question.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will randomly assign participants to one of three groups: 1) a control group in which participants will be asked to select one of three different brands of a product without receiving a warning on the high sugar content of any of the brands; 2) a first treatment group in which participants will see the same brands as the control group and will see a high-sugar-content warning label in one of the brands; 3) a treatment group will also see a high-sugar-content warning label, plus information about the health risks associated to consuming high-sugar-content products.

After the participants across all groups have picked one brand from each product category, we will randomly assign them to a low-budget or a high-budget group. Participants in the low-budget group will be informed that their household income declared in the survey decreases, while participants in the high-budget group will see their income increase.

The aim is to evaluate how different levels of information about high-sugar-content products impact consumers' decision-making and support for public health policies related to sugar consumption. Moreover, we aim to inspect if information interacts with budget constraints.
Experimental Design Details
Hypothesis:
1. Including a high-sugar-content warning label in a brand decreases the probability of choosing that brand.
2. Informing about the health-related consequences of sugar consumption decreases the likelihood of choosing products with high sugar content.
3. Constraining the household budget limits the effect of sugar-related information.
4. Relaxing the budget amplifies the effect of sugar-related information.
Randomization Method
Randomization will be conducted using computer software (Qualtrics).
Randomization Unit
The randomization unit is the individual participant.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
0
Sample size: planned number of observations
2000
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
667 in each group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Massachusetts Amherst - Human Research Protocol Office
IRB Approval Date
2024-07-30
IRB Approval Number
5692

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials