Tools- of Changes

Placing Lower-Calorie Meals First on Menus Increases the Likelihood of Teenagers Ordering them

Reducing the availability of higher energy menu options, and ordering menu options from low to high energy, reduce adolescents’ energy selection from overall meals.

1. Availability and Position absent (control group) = 60% higher energy options, ordered randomly by energy content.
2. Availability present, Position absent = 40% higher energy options, ordered randomly by energy content.
3. Position present, Availability absent = 60% higher energy options, menu options were ordered from lower to higher energy.
4. Availability present, Position present = 40% higher energy options, menu options were ordered from lower to higher energy.

Both the Availability and Position interventions reduced adolescents' meal energy selection, whether presented as individual interventions or combined. Thus, reducing the availability of higher energy menu options, and ordering menu options from low to high energy, appear to be effective strategies for reducing adolescents’ energy selection from overall meals.

Published in January 2025