Behavioral Interventions for Choice Decision: Convenience and Visibility Interventions Versus Taste Preference

Abstract

Successful behavioral interventions to reduce the consumption of unhealthy food will ease burden of NCDs and its economic cost. In prior research, conventional approach such as nutrition information could not overcome the impact of tasty but unhealthy food. Thus, this study is designed a field experiment at a casual restaurant to assess the effects of taste and behavioral approach, particularly the combination of convenience and visibility enhancements on healthier meal choices. The results of this study show that adding difficulty in ordering high-calorie food along with visibility can reduce calorie intake and compensate for the calorie increase caused by ordering according to taste. However, there are differences in effectiveness of interventions across each type of participant.