Potential Effect of Physical Activity Calorie Equivalent (PACE) Labeling on Adult Fast Food Ordering and Exercise

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2015 Jul 30

PMID 26222056

Citations 11

Authors

Ray Antonelli

Anthony J Viera

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: Numeric calorie content labels show limited efficacy in reducing the number of calories ordered from fast food meals. Physical activity calorie equivalent (PACE) labels are an alternative that may reduce the number of calories ordered in fast food meals while encouraging patrons to exercise.

Methods: A total of 1000 adults from 47 US states were randomly assigned via internet survey to one of four generic fast food menus: no label, calories only, calories + minutes, or calories + miles necessary to walk to burn off the calories. After completing hypothetical orders participants were asked to rate the likelihood of calorie-only and PACE labels to influence (1) food choice and (2) physical activity.

Results: Respondents (n = 823) ordered a median of 1580 calories from the no-label menu, 1200 from the calories-only menu, 1140 from the calories + minutes menu, and 1210 from the calories + miles menu (p = 0.0001). 40% of respondents reported that PACE labels were "very likely" to influence food item choice vs. 28% for calorie-only labels (p<0.0001). 64% of participants reported that PACE labels were "somewhat likely" or "very likely" to influence their level of physical activity vs. 49% for calorie-only labels (p<0.0001).

Conclusions: PACE labels may be helpful in reducing the number of calories ordered in fast food meals and may have the added benefit of encouraging exercise.

Citing Articles

Designing a new physical activity calorie equivalent food label and comparing its effect on caloric choices to that of the traffic light label among mothers: a mixed-method study.

Seyedhamzeh S, Nedjat S, Shakibazadeh E, Doustmohammadian A, Hosseini H, Kazemi A Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1280532.

PMID: 38035293 PMC: 10683755. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1280532.

Socioeconomic position and the effect of energy labelling on consumer behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Robinson E, Polden M, Langfield T, Clarke K, Calvert L, Colombet Z Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2023; 20(1):10.

PMID: 36747247 PMC: 9903416. DOI: 10.1186/s12966-023-01418-0.

A Hypothetical Tavern Menu for the Evaluation of Calorie Selection through Menu Labelling.

Giazitzi K, Chrysanthakopoulou V, Boskou G Foods. 2022; 11(11).

PMID: 35681374 PMC: 9180666. DOI: 10.3390/foods11111624.

The Differential Effects of Physical Activity Calorie Equivalent Labeling on Consumer Preferences for Healthy and Unhealthy Food Products: Evidence from a Choice Experiment.

Yang X, Huang Y, Han M, Wen X, Zheng Q, Chen Q Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(4).

PMID: 33672920 PMC: 7918401. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18041860.

Potential effect of different nutritional labels on food choices among mothers: a study protocol.

Seyedhamzeh S, Nedjat S, Hosseini H, Shakibazedeh E, Viera A, Motlagh A BMC Public Health. 2020; 20(1):294.

PMID: 32138775 PMC: 7059293. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-8411-8.

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