Research Objective: This study aims to identify and evaluate nudge interventions to enhance the intention to consume healthy food through a meta-synthesis approach.
Methodology: This study adopts an applied perspective and a qualitative methodology based on the meta-synthesis approach, executed following the seven-step framework of Sandelowski and Barroso (2007). Relevant scholarly documents were retrieved through an extensive search across international databases, including Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, as well as national databases such as the Scientific Information Database (SID), covering the period from 2008 to 2025. From an initial pool of 114 national and international articles, 78 documents were ultimately selected for coding and analysis, following the application of rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria and a methodological quality assessment using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). To ensure the trustworthiness (credibility and confirmability) of the findings, the framework proposed by Lincoln and Guba (1985) and expert review were employed.
Findings: In this research, following the final screening of 78 relevant articles, the data analysis process was conducted using a three-stage coding technique (open, axial, and selective). During the open coding process, a total of 57 initial codes were extracted; these codes were then classified into 9 concepts (sub-categories) through comparative analysis and conceptual abstraction. Ultimately, by integrating these concepts, 4 main categories were identified, forming the conceptual model of the research. These categories include: "Choice Architecture and Environmental Design," which focuses on structural and physical modifications to the decision-making environment through "layout and accessibility management," "visual salience," and "inventory and quantity management"; "Cognitive and Informational Design," which influences consumer perception, mental processing, and reactions via "nutritional information" and "cognitive processes and self-regulation"; "Communication Nudges," which adjusts behavior through social interactions and directive messages using "social norms and authority" and "direct persuasion and reminders"; and "Digital Nudges," which leverages modern technological tools to facilitate behavior change through "user interface and monitoring" and "intelligent interaction and personalization."
Conclusion: The conceptual model derived from this research indicates that the "nutritional nudge" process is not merely a one-dimensional, isolated intervention; rather, it is a multidimensional system formed by integrating "Choice Architecture and Environmental Design," "Cognitive and Informational Design," "Communication Nudges," and "Digital Nudges." The analysis of the findings suggests that while interventions based on "Choice Architecture and Environmental Design" have been most prevalent in the literature due to their tangibility, the powerful emergence of "Digital Nudges" signifies a paradigm shift in nutritional interventions from traditional environments toward interactive and intelligent platforms. These findings emphasize that sustainable effectiveness in modifying dietary behaviors lies not in the one-dimensional application of these tools, but in a "structured synergy" among these four categories. Policymakers can minimize behavioral resistance and transform healthy options into the consumer's "default choice" by integrating "Choice Architecture and Environmental Design" with "Digital Nudges," "Cognitive and Informational Design," and "Communication Nudges." Ultimately, this model provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for designing policy interventions in nutritional environments, suggesting that managers and policymakers should move beyond relying solely on economic or prescriptive incentives and instead adopt the intelligent design of choice environments.