- Title
- Use of information and communication technologies, data and knowledge to increase the impact of digital environments on food choice
- Creator
- Valenčič, Eva
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2023
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Food and eating environments play a crucial role in shaping consumers' food choices. As food decision-making shifts more into the digital environment, it is essential to understand the impact of this setting on consumer's dietary behaviours. Online platforms and mobile apps provide great opportunities for the promotion of healthier food choices and the improvement of dietary behaviours. Moreover, food choices are frequently processed unconsciously, which underscores the importance of creating digital environments that support healthful decision-making. Ultimately, by leveraging the power of digital technology and applying effective nudging strategies, consumers' food choices can be improved, which can further lead to better dietary behaviours and improved overall health. This doctoral dissertation addresses two main aims. Firstly, it is focusing on investigating and designing supportive digital environments for consumers, using nudging strategies, whereas the second aim is focusing on the provision of relevant and accurate food and nutrition data and knowledge for choice architects. To address these aims, four studies were conducted. Firstly, a scoping review was conducted to investigate the use of digital nudging strategies in online grocery stores, and to identify research gaps within this research area. The review revealed that only a few nudging strategies have been implemented within online grocery store user-interfaces. Furthermore, the review found that there was a lack of detailed descriptions of the design elements used. Next, a study to investigate whether specific design elements of a mobile app could influence consumers' snack choices, was conducted. This study found that background images may influence snack choice. The study also highlighted that there is a need for innovative approaches that integrate food and nutrition data and knowledge to effectively promote healthier food choices. To address this gap, a user-friendly web-based tool was developed that allows for easier and more efficient data and knowledge access and management. Lastly, an experimental online grocery store, where food products were re-positioned based on dietary fibre content, was designed and tested. This study demonstrated that the integration of data and knowledge into the development process of user-interface design elements can be an effective strategy to promote healthier food choices. The main finding of this thesis is that creating effective digital environments requires a multi-faceted approach. First, these environments must be designed in a way that promotes healthier choices, which can be achieved through various nudging strategies. Next, choice architects responsible for designing the environments must have access to reliable and evidence-based data and knowledge. This includes integrated and interconnected data from various resources, to provide them with insights into the latest scientific evidence. Moreover, data and knowledge need to be transparent, traceable, and accessible by the choice architects and by information systems, to ensure that the design choices made, are well-informed and supported by evidence. In summary, this dissertation adds to the existing literature by creating supportive digital environments for promoting healthier choices that consider both, user-interface design and access to relevant data and knowledge. By addressing these two elements, we can lead to impactful interventions that support consumers in making healthy food choices.
- Subject
- consumer food choices; food decision-making; digital environments; thesis by publication
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1507290
- Identifier
- uon:55996
- Rights
- Copyright 2023 Eva Valenčič
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 7 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 206 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |