Does the serving-size of beer glasses matter for how much students drink on a night out?
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN95515814 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN95515814 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT) | Nil known |
| Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) | Nil known |
| Protocol serial number | BEER1 |
| Sponsor | Roskilde University |
| Funder | Investigator initiated and funded |
- Submission date
- 26/05/2020
- Registration date
- 31/05/2020
- Last edited
- 28/05/2020
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Excessive alcohol consumption amongst youths, especially students, poses serious health and risk problems. Research suggests that the serving-size of glasses in which alcohol is consumed may influence both the amounts poured, perceptions of portion size, drinking pace as well as purchasing and consumption behaviour. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of reducing the standard serving size, including size of glass, of beer by 20% on on-site beer consumption by students in a student bar.
Who can participate?
Guests at a large student dormitory bar in Copenhagen, Denmark
What does the study involve?
Beer glasses of two different sizes are placed in a random sequence under the bar desk. The students are either served free beer with a standard 50 cl serving size or a smaller 40 cl serving size during the first 2.5 hours of the student event. Consumption is measured by writing the students’ names on their glasses and then videotaping the glasses served from cameras placed underneath the bar desk and monitoring the students throughout the night.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The possible benefits and risks are that participants might get tipsy.
Where is the study run from?
Roskilde University (Denmark)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
The study took place in April 2017
Who is funding the study?
Investigator initiated and funded
Who is the main contact?
Pelle Guldborg Hansen
pgh@ruc.dk
Contact information
Scientific
Hammers Høi Kaj, 4, 5.th.
Copenhagen
1402
Denmark
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-0042-0852 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +45 (0)2789 8789 |
| pgh@ruc.dk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Randomised controlled field experiment |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Does the serving-size of beer glasses matter for how much students drink on a night out? A randomised controlled field experiment |
| Study acronym | BEER |
| Study objectives | This experiment aimed to examine the impact of reducing the standard serving-size, including size of glass, of beer with 20% on on-site beer consumption by students in a student bar. The hypothesis was that the intervention would lead to a reduction. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 25/05/2020, The Committee for Research Ethics, Roskilde University (Institute for Communication Studies and Arts, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, Bld. 42.1, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; +45 (0)4674 2445; Ryberg@ruc.dk), no ref. number |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Excessive alcohol consumption |
| Intervention | At a regular quiz night in a large student dormitory bar in Copenhagen, Denmark, beer glasses of two different sizes are placed in a randomised sequence under the bar desk. This allowed for randomly allocating the 103 participating students into two groups either served free beer with standard 50 cl serving size (n = 54) or smaller 40 cl serving size (n = 49) during the first 2.5 hours of the student event. Consumption is measured by writing the students’ names on their glasses and then videotaping the glasses served from cameras placed underneath the bar desk and monitoring the students throughout the night. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Beer served measured in centiliters by having bartenders pour beer to a particular line on the beer glasses and recording this with go-pro cameras during the first 2.5 hours of the student event |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
There are no secondary outcome measures |
| Completion date | 20/04/2017 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 103 |
| Total final enrolment | 103 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Guests at a dormitory bar |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 20/04/2017 |
| Date of final enrolment | 20/04/2017 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Denmark
Study participating centre
Roskilde
4000
Denmark
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Pelle Guldborg Hansen (pgh@ruc.dk). Type of dataset: Excel. The data will be available as long as required conditional on an academic affiliation as a full-time researcher for all types of analyses. No need for consent from participants will be needed as the data is fully anonymised. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
28/05/2020: Trial's existence confirmed by The Committee for Research Ethics, Roskilde University.
