Abstract

Background

Healthy default food choices have been suggested as a way to encourage better nutrition without restricting choice. Will they work with children and their favorite foods?

Methods

A group of children, 6-8 years old, were treated to lunch at fast food restaurant on 2 days 2 weeks apart. On both days the children were served chicken nuggets and a drink. On the first day, half were given French fries unless they asked for apple slices and the other half were given apples unless they asked for fries. The order switched on the second day.

Results

When the default changed from fries to apples, 86.7 % opted out of the default to order fries.

Conclusion

Defaults may be ineffective when children have a strong preference for the less healthy option. Allowing children to take both sides may lead to healthier consumption than constructing an artificial default choice.

Details

Title
The limits of defaults: why french fries trump apple slices
Author
Wansink, Brian; Just, David R
Publication year
2016
Publication date
2016
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
17560500
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1797420355
Copyright
Copyright BioMed Central 2016