Will Delays In Getting Products From Vending Machines Affect Future Snack Choices?

An on-going study is testing whether a snack vending machine system that uses brief time delays before dispensing a predetermined “unhealthy” snack might increase consumers’ likelihood of purchasing a healthy snack in the future (and receiving it immediately), all without greatly impacting vending sales. The study, titled “Time Over Money? A Novel System To Influence Snack Machine Choices,” has received $240,007 in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is being conducted by Rush University Medical Center located in Chicago, IL.

The study will have individuals purchase snacks classified as either healthy or unhealthy from a vending machine. Unhealthy snacks will be delayed by varying intervals, allowing researchers to determine the interval that produces the largest improvement while not adversely affecting vending sales, according to the study’s abstract. A second study will use time delays, different pricing models and a combination of both in order to increase purchasing of healthy snacks.

The goal is to uncover effective dietary intervention strategies that will lower the incidents of obesity and cardio-metabolic disease in the U.S. The study began in August of 2014 and is funded through June 2015.