Effects of pictorial warnings on parents' purchases and perceptions of sugar‐sweetened beverage categories

Abstract

SummaryBackgroundSugar‐sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption remains high among US children. Warning labels on SSBs hold promise for reducing consumption, but their impact may differ by SSB category.ObjectivesThis study examined the effects of pictorial warnings on parents' beverage purchases and perceptions across SSB categories.MethodsParents of children ages 2–12 (n = 326) visited a convenience store laboratory in North Carolina. Participants were randomly assigned to see SSBs carrying either pictorial warning labels or control labels. Parents purchased a beverage for their child and completed a survey.ResultsResponses from parents in the control arm suggest underlying perceptions of flavoured milk (2.8 on scale ranging from 1 to 5), flavoured water (2.6), and fruit‐flavoured drinks (2.5) as the most healthful SSB categories. Compared to the control, pictorial warnings led to the largest reductions in purchases of fruit drinks (−61%), soda (−36%) and flavoured milk (−32%). Warnings also lowered the perceived healthfulness of flavoured water (d = −0.34), flavoured milk (d = −0.28), sports drinks (d = −0.25), and a reduction in intentions to give one's child sports drinks (d = −0.30), flavoured water (d = −0.24) and sweet tea (d = −0.22, all p < 0.05).ConclusionsWarning labels may have heterogeneous effects across SSB categories. Future research should assess the psychological mechanisms underlying these heterogeneous effects.