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Influencing Healthier Choices: Menu Design Effects on Teen Dining
Recent findings indicate that strategically positioning lower-calorie meals at the forefront of restaurant menus, along with limiting high-calorie options, can significantly influence teenagers’ dining selections towards healthier choices.
The rising rates of childhood obesity have become a pressing public health concern, with annual statistics showing little progress in government initiatives aimed at curbing this trend. Notably, adolescents often frequent restaurants, with about 20% of children reporting that they dine out at least once a week.
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Birmingham and Aston University, recently published in the journal Appetite, highlights that when main courses are arranged from lower to higher calorie content on menus, teenagers are more inclined to choose healthier options.
Dr. Katie Edwards, a Research Fellow in Psychology and the lead investigator of the study, emphasized the importance of targeting dietary habits during adolescence. “Childhood obesity represents a major public health challenge. Adolescence is a crucial phase when young individuals gain independence and autonomy over their dietary choices while socializing with peers. Previous interventions have focused on promoting healthy eating within the confines of home and school, yet we explored how modifications to restaurant menus could affect teenagers’ decisions,” she stated.
The team recruited 432 participants aged 13 to 17 for an online experiment. The teenagers were presented with various menu designs featuring five starters, ten main courses, and five desserts, mirroring the layout of a conventional restaurant menu. Each design varied: one reduced the number of high-calorie items available, another arranged dishes from lowest to highest calories, a third combined these two approaches, and a fourth served as a conventional ‘typical’ menu. Participants were tasked with selecting a complete meal, including a starter, main course, and dessert, from each menu type.
The results revealed that both the positioning and availability alterations led to a notable decrease in the calorie content of the meals chosen, particularly when compared to the typical menu format. The average calorie count dropped from 2099.78 to 1992.13 when meals were listed from the lowest to highest calories. The reduction in calorie intake was even more pronounced with the availability intervention, lowering average calories from 2134.26 to 1956.18 kcal. Those who viewed the combined menu saw an impressive decline from 2173.60 kcal to 1884.44 kcal.
Furthermore, the study indicated that the positioning strategy had the most significant effect on main course selections, while the availability intervention primarily influenced starter choices. Dessert selections remained largely unaffected by any of the interventions.
Dr. Edwards summarized the findings: “The main course calorie reductions were the most pronounced following the position intervention, dropping from an average of 1104.17 kcal to 1045.16 kcal. Although not every intervention led to statistically significant reductions across all courses, there was a consistent decrease in overall meal calorie content.”
Dr. James Reynolds, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Aston University, added, “Restaurants tend to serve higher-calorie meals, making them an effective environment for implementing manageable interventions that can promote healthier eating among teenagers. While calorie information is now often required on menus, our study suggests that adjusting menu design could serve as an additional strategy to combat obesity and guide young diners towards better choices. Future research should investigate these findings in actual restaurant settings.”
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