extra reading on PACE Flashcards
pace labels
PACE Labels:
- Many studies have been conducted to look at the effect of PACE labelling. Antonelli and Viera (2015) investigated in 1000 adults across 47 US states whether PACE labels would be more beneficial at decreasing the number of calories ordered in fast food restaurants. In addition to the benefit of encouraging exercise.
o They found that PACE labels had a higher chance of reducing the amount of calories ordered in fast food meals as well as promoting exercise.
o 40% of participants said they were “very likely” to alter their food choice from PACE labels, compared to 28% from only calorie labels.
- Limitation:
o Survey based – answers were hypothetical (could be untruthful) – variables like hunger, costs, marketing and time pressure were unaccounted for which would be influential in real world settings
- Although both labels are beneficial at reducing calories being consumed, PACE labels seem to bring more benefit to what people chose to eat as well as the influence of persuading to exercise.
Are Front-of-Package Warning Labels More Effective at Communicating Nutrition Information than Traffic-Light Labels? A Randomized Controlled Experiment in a Brazilian Sample
Khandpur et al (2018):
- Looked at if warning labels (WLs) improved consumer understanding, perceptions and purchase intentions compared to TLLs in 1607 Brazilian adults
- RCT – pps saw images of 10 products and answered questions twice – once in a no label, control condition and again in a randomly assigned label condition
- Differences in responses were measured
- Presenting WLs on products compared to TLLs helped participants:
o Improve understanding of excess nutrient content
o Improve ability to identify healthier product
o Decrease perceptions of product healthfulness
o Correctly identify healthier products
o All relative to control condition
- With WLs there was an increase in % of people: expressing an intention to purchase healthier option AND choosing not to but either product relative to control condition
- Pps in WL condition had significantly more favourable opinions of the labels compared to those in the TLL group.
- Conclusions: WLs would be more effective, compared to the TLL at improving consumer food choices.
All pps in a control group, then randomly assigned to other group 😊 – minimised confounding variable effects
Pps blinded to study aims 😊
Delfino et al, (2018) – large sample of 10-17 year olds from both public and private schools randomly selected. Measured screen times on different devices and physical inactivity domains, eating habits and socioeconomic stats were assessed
Found –
- high use of videogames greater among boys and higher use of mobile phones were among girls.
- High use of computers was associated with fried food consumption and physical inactivity,
- mobile phone was associated with consumption of sweets.
- Cluster using screen devices showed associations with high consumption of snacks, fried foods and sweets even after controlling for confounding variables.
- The high use of screen devices was associated with high consumption of snacks, fried foods, sweets and physical inactivity in adolescents.
Daley 2023
Data were analysed descriptively and using logistic and multinomial regression analyses. 2,668/4,000 (67%) of those invited participated. More participants preferred traffic light (43%vs33%) than PACE labelling, but more reported PACE was easier to understand (41%vs27%) and more likely to catch their attention (49%vs31%). More participants thought PACE was more likely to help them avoid high calorie food than traffic light labelling (44%vs28%). Physically active (3–4 or 5+ days/week) respondents were more likely to report PACE would catch their attention than traffic light labelling, compared with less active participants
Deery et al., 2019
ResultsA total of 366 study participants were included in the analysis. In the PACE-label group, self-reported physical activity increased by 13–26% compared to the calorie-only label group. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) increased by 24 min per week in the PACE-label group compared to the calorie-label group (p = 0.06). Changes in accelerometer measured steps, sedentary time, and MVPA had modest increases. Change ranged from 1 to 12% with effect size values from 0.08 to 0.15. Baseline physical activity level significantly moderated the intervention effects for all physical activity outcomes. Participants in both label groups starting in the lowest tertile of activity saw the largest increase in their physical activity.ConclusionResults suggest small positive effects for the PACE labels on self-reported and objective physical activity measures. Minutes of weekly MVPA, strength training, and exercise activities showed modest increases. These results suggest that calorie-expenditure food labels may result in some limited increases in physical activity.
Melhouse 2021
The study found that every participant noticed at least one PACE label, and that healthier products attracted more visual attention than unhealthier products. The PACE labels were looked at longer and more intensely compared to the price labels of the products.
PACE labels were looked at longer and more intensely compared to price labels, and healthier products were observed significantly longer than unhealthier alternatives. ↓
The study found that PACE labels were perceived and actively remembered by the participants, and they were looked at longer and more intensely compared to the price labels. Healthier products attracted more attention than unhealthier products, and the general product choices were rather healthy. ↓
In regards to the health value of the products, the healthier products were observed significantly longer than those of the unhealthier alternatives; there was no significant difference between the fixations of their labels ↓
Our results show that research in real-world settings is possible; we recommend continuing researching the influence of PACE labels on purchase behavior, with wider target groups, at best between-subjects, to better distinguish different experimental effects
issues with PACE
Opponents of PACE labelling often point to the problem of placing responsibility on the individual or exacerbating existing eating disorders and it has been argued that calorie labelling may have unintended negative consequences for eating disorders (McGeown, 2019). These are important concerns. However, the problem of eating disorders, for example, is dwarfed by the overwhelming problem of the obesity epidemic. In England, around 3% of people aged 16 years or more experience eating disorders, while nearly one-third of adults (29%) are living with obesity (NHS Digital, 2020- However relative deaths of eating disorders are high, yet rates are lower than obesity because of population differences! Both are important!!
Also, Iris et al., 2024- found using Qual interviews, children felt feelings of guilt associated with PACE labelling. Guilt being a risk of eating disorders
however, Daley et al., 2021- said there is no direct link to using PACE and an increase in eating disorders. However, PACE labeling has its challenges. Some experts argue that people might become desensitized to PACE information over time, which could diminish its long-term effectiveness (Daley et al., 2020)
Morely et al., 2013- Additionally, for individuals with physical limitations or health conditions, the physical activity equivalent may not be practically relevant, potentially limiting PACE labeling’s applicability for all demographics (Morley et al., 2013).
