title: Effects of promotional materials on vending sales of low-fat items in teachers' lounges.
abstract: This study examined the impact of an environmental intervention in the form of promotional materials and increased availability of low-fat items on vending machine sales. Ten vending machines were selected and randomly assigned to one of three conditions: control, or one of two experimental conditions. Vending machines in the two intervention conditions received three additional low-fat selections. Low-fat items were promoted at two levels: labels (intervention I), and labels plus signs (intervention II). The number of individual items sold and the total revenue generated was recorded weekly for each machine for 4 weeks. Use of promotional materials resulted in a small, but not significant, increase in the number of low-fat items sold, although machine sales were not significantly impacted by the change in product selection. Results of this study, although not statistically significant, suggest that environmental change may be a realistic means of positively influencing consumer behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiske
authors.forename: Karen Weber
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Cullen
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005178:Faculty; D005509:Food Dispensers, Automatic / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005515:Food Labeling; D005518:Food Preferences; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education; D012574:Schools
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats