Touch screens lead to unhealthy food choice: Study

Touch screen computer interfaces lead consumers to choose unhealthy food, Chinese University of Hong Kong or CUHK Business School says in a study.

It observed the increasing use of technology such as customised mobile apps in the domain of food choice, and asked the question: What effect do these digital devices have on customers' choice of food?

The study has relevant implications for public policy, as different response modes can affect food choices, including unhealthy food.

In terms of marketing, in today's technological world, it implies that specific marketing strategies using different computer interfaces could be explored to yield desirable choices among consumers.

Associate Professors Hao Shen and Meng Zhang, both from CUHK Business School's Department of Marketing, conducted the research.