title: [Effects of calorie information and nutrition traffic light on alimentation behaviour in public catering].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Due to the significant increase in overweight and obese people, action is needed to raise eating behaviour awareness. A significant main meal (lunch) is witnessing a growing trend in the catering (part of the out-of-home nutrition). The aim of this study is to determine whether the selection of lunch menus is affected through the display of nutritional information in the form of number of calories or a traffic light model.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this exploratory study, quantitative data were collected in a cross-sectional design. In addition to the established measurement instruments, socio-demographic and socio-economic information of the subjects based on the study were evaluated. The survey took place in 2008 in 2 passes (time t A/t B). The identical lunch menu of a catering company was applied twice respectively for 4 weeks. In the second run (t B) the lunch menu contained additional nutritional information (big 4 instructions) in the form of calories or a traffic light nutrition. The test of group differences was based on scientific statistical analysis in SPSS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall results for the illustration of kilocalories or traffic light do not have a unique significance in the direction of a low average number of calories at the time t B in comparison to the time t A. The food participants, on average, choose a lower calorie-containing menu, when a combination of traffic light and calories is given.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The nutrition behaviour is accompanied by an oversupply of unhealthy foods. Lunch participants are sensitised for the selection of healthier lunch menus by a traffic light nutrition information or calories information. Nutrition labelling for lunch menus in the form of calories nutrition information or a coloured traffic light could trigger preventive effects.
authors.affiliation: Private Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruder
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Honekamp
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hackl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005502:Food / Q000145:classification*; D005515:Food Labeling / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008612:Menu Planning / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012147:Restaurants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult