Abstract
BackgroundThe majority of food in the United Kingdom is purchased in supermarkets, and therefore, supermarket interventions provide an opportunity to improve diets. Randomized controlled trials are costly, time-consuming, and difficult to conduct in real stores. Alternative approaches of assessing the impact of supermarket interventions on food purchases are needed, especially with respect to assessing differential impacts on population subgroups.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using the United Kingdom Virtual Supermarket (UKVS), a three-dimensional (3D) computer simulation of a supermarket, to measure food purchasing behavior across income groups.MethodsParticipants (primary household shoppers in the United Kingdom with computer access) were asked to conduct two shopping tasks using the UKVS and complete questionnaires on demographics, food purchasing habits, and feedback on the UKVS software. Data on recruitment method and rate, completion of study procedure, purchases, and feedback on usability were collected to inform future trial protocols.ResultsA total of 98 participants were recruited, and 46 (47%) fully completed the study procedure. Low-income participants were less likely to complete the study (P=.02). Most participants found the UKVS easy to use (38/46, 83%) and reported that UKVS purchases resembled their usual purchases (41/46, 89%).ConclusionsThe UKVS is likely to be a useful tool to examine the effects of nutrition interventions using randomized controlled designs. Feedback was positive from participants who completed the study and did not differ by income group. However, retention was low and needs to be addressed in future studies. This study provides purchasing data to establish sample size requirements for full trials using the UKVS.
Highlights
BackgroundUnhealthy diets pose a substantial threat to public health
The shopping tasks asked participants to purchase all foods for their household for at least the day, which was in line with previous studies [14,15,16] and likely to be comparable with smaller top-up shops that comprise around 60% of household food spending in the United Kingdom [17]
We found that completion rates in the United Kingdom Virtual Supermarket (UKVS) were lower than anticipated but that feedback from participants was positive and similar across all income groups
Summary
BackgroundUnhealthy diets pose a substantial threat to public health. Globally, dietary risk factors account for 11.3 million deaths and 241.4 disability-adjusted life years per year [1]. Health-related food taxes and subsidies (HRFTS) are interventions that raise the price of unhealthy foods or lower the price of healthy foods to encourage healthier diets. The majority of food in the United Kingdom is purchased in supermarkets, and supermarket interventions provide an opportunity to improve diets. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using the United Kingdom Virtual Supermarket (UKVS), a three-dimensional (3D) computer simulation of a supermarket, to measure food purchasing behavior across income groups. Methods: Participants (primary household shoppers in the United Kingdom with computer access) were asked to conduct two shopping tasks using the UKVS and complete questionnaires on demographics, food purchasing habits, and feedback on the UKVS software. Data on recruitment method and rate, completion of study procedure, purchases, and feedback on usability were collected to inform future trial protocols. This study provides purchasing data to establish sample size requirements for full trials using the UKVS
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