Post by Management Development Institute, Gurgaon

Management Development Institute, Gurgaon is delighted to share one of the latest publications by Prof. Vanita Singh, Prof. Sunil Ashra, Prof. Suwarna Shukla, Prof. Rupamanjari Sinha Ray on the topic: "Using affective and information nudge to promote healthy snack choice among primary school children: Insights from a block randomized study" 🗒️ 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 - Acta Psychologica | ABDC – 𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆   ✍ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀 – Dr. Vanita Singh, Prof. Sunil Ashra, Prof. Suwarna S. ,Prof. Rupamanjari Sinha Ray 📢 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 – Elsevier; 📆 Month –April 2026 ✍ 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲: https://lnkd.in/eiwTTREu   Abstract: Can a simple smiley encourage children to make healthier food choices? Researchers from MDI Gurgaon (Vanita Singh, Sunil Ashra, Suwarna Shukla, and RupaManjari Sinha Ray) investigated this question through a three-arm block-randomized field experiment involving 129 primary school children. In a school-based snack choice experiment, children selected between a banana and a cookie and were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: (1) no intervention (control), (2) a smiley face placed next to the banana, and (3) a smiley face paired with a brief teacher-delivered nutrition information video. While the smiley alone produced a modest improvement in healthy snack selection, the combined intervention substantially increased banana choice, raising selection from 23% in the control group to 71% in the smiley-and-video group, nearly a threefold increase. The findings demonstrate that simple, low-cost behavioural nudges, when reinforced by trusted teachers, can significantly promote healthier food choices among children and offer a scalable, evidence-based strategy for improving school nutrition. Key Highlights from the Research: 1.   Emotional nudges improved healthy choices Children were more likely to choose bananas over cookies when healthy snacks were paired with positive emojis, such as smiley faces. 2.   Nudges + education delivered the strongest impact The strongest impact came when visual nudges were combined with a short nutrition-awareness video, showing that emotional and informational cues together are more effective. 3.   Low-cost interventions can work in schools Conducted among primary school students in Gurgaon, the study shows that simple, scalable behavioural interventions can encourage healthier eating habits in resource-constrained settings. How can schools and policymakers further leverage simple behavioural nudges to create lasting healthy eating habits among children?

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