Excessive sugar consumption is recognized as a critical public health concern. For many young adults, the transition to college presents both risk and a promising opportunity to encourage formation of healthy dietary habits. Capitalizing on this window of opportunity, we conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of two single-session interventions on added sugar intake in a sample of first-semester undergraduates. Participants received either an intervention primarily focused on reducing added sugar consumption or a general health behavior intervention with units on physical activity, sleep, and healthy diet. Participants' added sugar intake, motivation to reduce sugar consumption, and factual knowledge about added sugar intake were compared at follow-up.
The goal of this cluster randomized controlled trial was to compare the effects of two single-session interventions (sugar-intensive vs. general health control) on added sugar intake, motivation to reduce sugar consumption, and factual knowledge about added sugar 6 weeks later, in a sample of first-semester undergraduates.