Influence of Calorie Labeling on Food Choice

肥胖是美国最紧迫的公共卫生问题之一。通过其对心血管疾病、糖尿病和癌症的负面影响，肥胖是过早发病率和死亡率以及经济成本的重要因素。尽管问题严重，但公共卫生系统面临着几乎完全缺乏人口水平的解决方案，以鼓励持续减肥或停止体重增加。最近肥胖率上升的一个主要原因是人们越来越多地在户外食用高热量食物，特别是快餐。因此，最近提出的一个人口层面的解决方案是一项政策，规定快餐店的所有菜单项目都必须贴上卡路里标签。然而，这些政策目前正在全国范围内实施，几乎没有证据表明它们在改变食物选择方面的潜在效果。该项目建议研究卡路里标签，因为它在两个城市发挥作用，以提供证据，以证明其在对抗肥胖方面的有效性。在一些城市引入卡路里标签，而不是其他城市，为我们提供了一个研究自然实验的独特机会。我们将利用差异中的差异设计来研究卡路里标签，因为它在两个城市引入，而不是在两个单独的控制城市。我们将通过两种不同的方式在每个城市（干预和对照）引入标签之前和之后收集数据。为了客观地测量食物选择的卡路里含量并满足我们的主要目标，我们从干预和控制城市的随机抽样快餐店收集收据。我们的第二个目的是更深入地了解标签的有效性以及标签有效与否的原因，我们将在收集收据的同时进行电话调查。我们将利用行为经济学的概念，集中研究消费者的决策。尽管卡路里标签正在全国范围内考虑和实施，但我们对其潜在的有效性几乎一无所知。该项目有可能提供重要的见解，以了解这一政策是否确实有效地打击肥胖流行病。此外，它将揭示为什么政策是有效的或没有。长期目标是在这一知识的基础上制定有效的公共政策来对抗肥胖。

Obesity is one of the most pressing public health problems in the United States. Through its negative influence on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, obesity is a significant contributor to premature morbidity and mortality, as well as economic costs. Despite the magnitude of the problem, the public health system is faced with an almost complete dearth of population-level solutions to encourage sustained weight loss or halt weight gain. A large contributor to recent rises in obesity is that highly caloric foods are increasingly eaten outside the home, particularly fast foods. As such, one recently proposed population-level solution is a policy dictating mandatory calorie labeling of all menu items in fast-food restaurants. However, these policies are currently playing out across the country with little to no evidence as to their potential effectives in altering food choice. This project proposes to study calorie labeling as it plays out in two cities to provide evidence as to its effectiveness in combating obesity. The introduction of calorie labeling in some cities and not others provides us with a unique opportunity to study a natural experiment. We will utilize a difference-in-difference design to study calorie labeling as it is introduced in two cities but not in two, separate control cities. We will collect data before and after labeling is introduced in each city (intervention and control) via two separate means. To objectively measure the caloric content of food choice and satisfy our primary aim, we collect receipts from randomly sampled fast food restaurants in the intervention and control city. For our secondary aim, to provide greater insight as to the effectiveness of labeling as well as why labeling is effective or not, we will conduct a telephone survey at the same time the receipt collection occurs. We will focus our examination on the decision making of the consumer, utilizing the concepts of behavioral economics. Even though calorie labeling is being considered and implemented across the country, we have little to no knowledge as to its potential effectiveness. This project has the potential to provide significant insight as to whether this policy is indeed effective in combating the obesity epidemic. Moreover, it will shed light on why the policy is effective or not. The long term goal is to build on this knowledge to develop effective public polices to combat obesity.