"Go-Slow-Whoa!": Will Nutritional Information Influence Adolescent Food Choices and Lead to a Healthier Generation?

The prevalence of obesity in adolescents and children, in the United States, was 16.9% from 2009 to 2010 (Ogden, et al. 2012), and nearly a third of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are considered obese. It is due to these alarming figures, children are a major focus of public health efforts. Providing nutritional information on the healthfulness of entrées served in the school lunchroom could positively impact a student’s daily dietary choices. Pre-ordering entrée systems have previously shown to have a positive (more healthful) impact on entrée selection (Hanks, Just, and Wansink 2013). The current study builds on the previous literature by including Go-Slow-Whoa nutritional information along with the entrée choice set to determine if the inclusion of nutritional labels can lead to more healthful pre-ordered entrée choices. Results find that older students are more likely to alter their choice to a healthier entrée when nutritional labels are present versus their younger cohort.