A new report published in the American Journal of Public Health has found that children purchase significantly fewer sugary drinks when signs containing caloric information are present in the store.

The signs do more than present facts on the caloric content of the sugar-filled beverages in question. They provide easily understandable context that helps children understand what they are putting in their bodies.

Messages included in the signs inform that it would take a five mile run to burn off the 250 calories consumed in one can of soda. Other signs discussed the amount of sugar contained in various types of drinks.

Researchers surveyed children between the ages of 12 and 18 years after they had purchased beverages at the store used in the study. They found that 35 percent of the children noticed the signs. Of these kids, 40 percent reported changing their purchase decision because of what they read.

Examining purchase records of drinks from the store showed even more evidence of altered decision making. 98 percent of the drink purchases prior to the signs were for sugar-filled drinks. Six weeks after the signs were posted this number had decreased 11 percent.

Purchases of large bottles of soda went from 54 percent of all purchases to 37 percent.

Teenagers who opted not to buy any beverages rose from 27 percent to 33 percent.

All in all, 3,000 purchases were analyzed. As a result, researchers also discovered that these changes in purchasing habits continued to be present even after the signs were removed from the store.

Researchers believe that this could be an important piece of information when used to combat childhood obesity. If the signs are really as effective in altering children’s purchasing behavior then the low cost associated with installing them in stores means that it could be an incredibly effective tool.