Improvement of the food environment in cafeteria-style university cafeterias using nudges and evaluation of their effectiveness

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K02301
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08030:Family and consumer sciences, and culture and living-related
• Research Institution: University of Hyogo
• Principal Investigator: Nakade Makiko 兵庫県立大学, 環境人間学部, 准教授 (80508185)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 饗場 直美 神奈川工科大学, 応用バイオ科学部, 教授 (50199220) ; 福本 隆司 神奈川工科大学, 情報学部, 教授 (80772912)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 野菜 / ナッジ / 大学生

Outline of Final Research Achievements

University students have a problem with low vegetable intake. University cafeterias are one of the places for dietary intervention for university students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of nudge interventions to increase the selection of vegetable dishes in university cafeterias. Two nudge interventions (displaying the number of sold small vegetable dishes in real time and showing a digital signage video to encourage vegetable intake) were conducted in a cafeteria at a university in Hyogo Prefecture, and two nudge interventions (holding an event where all dishes could be purchased for 100 yen and prominently displaying a vegetable salad button on a ticket vending machine) were conducted in a cafeteria at a university in Kanagawa Prefecture. The results suggested the effectiveness of the nudge to make the vegetable salad button stand out.

Free Research Field

公衆栄養学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では4種類のナッジを考案し、そのうち券売機の野菜サラダのボタンを目立たせるナッジの方法の有効性が示唆された。本研究の結果はそれぞれ１大学の結果であるため、今後他大学でも同様の結果が得られるか検討が必要であるが、効果が示されれば、ナッジを用いた食環境整備を行うことにより、大学生の昼食時における野菜料理選択数の増加、ひいては１日分の野菜摂取量の増加や生活習慣病予防に役立てることができると考えられる。