2023 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 75-82
Changing dietary behavior is not easy, and various factors affect the achievement of desirable dietary habits. Therefore, nudges have attracted attention, which are strategies to understand how people make decisions and encourage them to make choices voluntarily for desirable behaviors, including individuals who are not interested in health and nutrition. This review describes the various nudges that are used to change dietary behavior and outlines their effectiveness and challenges.
In a meta-analysis of studies using nudges to change dietary behavior, behaviorally oriented nudges such as “enhanced convenience” and “change size” were more effective than the cognitively oriented nudges such as “nutrition labels.” Additionally, in providing information such as menu names, the results showed that representing “taste” was more effective than promoting “health” in encouraging food choices and providing greater satisfaction after eating the food. However, further research is needed regarding the continuity of individual behavior change.
Nudges are highly convenient as they are relatively inexpensive and can be performed simply by changing the way in which the information and choices are presented, based on an understanding of the biases that arise in decision-making situations. Furthermore, they could be effective in changing the behavior of people who are not interested in their health. Although defaults are effective among other tactics, they are not sufficient. Nudges not only help in making healthier choices easier but also in improving health literacy. Instead of choosing between nudges or education, it is important to implement both in order to proceed with the “leave no one behind” initiative.
