The art of nudging: increasing healthy eating among students in an educational setting

Eating healthily is a challenge for many young adults and as young adults spend many hours per day at, for example, their school or university educational settings have been identified as suitable for applying these interventions. The present dissertation set out to investigate the effects of nudges based on artwork targeting dietary behavior. Nudges are simple changes made within the immediate surroundings of an individual that aim at highlighting a certain option without taking away or forbidding any options. To deepen the understanding of the working mechanisms of artwork nudges different influencing factors on nudge effectiveness were researched: the acceptance of nudges as a health intervention and the awareness of the presence of a nudge within the decision-making context. The findings of the present dissertation reveal that the effects of the artwork nudges were mixed and not always as intended or expected. Practitioners can draw important conclusions: 1) Nudges need to be designed based on a sound theoretical background, tested rigorously and possibly refined; 2) Nudge application needs to carefully consider the target group to which a nudge will be applied; 3) The application of nudges in an educational setting is easy and cost-effective. More research on artwork nudges is needed to master this art of nudging completely.