SNAP Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Program Digital Promotions for Farmers' Markets

Food Insecurity Clinical Trial

Official title:

Impact of Randomized Digital Promotions of SNAP Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Program on Farmers' Market Patronage and Sales

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04458350
• Other study ID #: 102728-00001
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 1, 2020
• Est. completion date: September 30, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: October 2020
• Source: Tufts University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of digital promotions of a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fruit and vegetable incentive program on SNAP participant patronage and sales at farmers' markets. The study will analyze SNAP transactions from zip codes that receive digital promotions compared to zip codes that receive no additional promotions.

Description:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) financial incentives for fruits and vegetables (FV) increase FV purchases and consumption with long-term implications for nutrition-related chronic disease. However, many SNAP participants are not aware of these programs, leaving them underutilized. The investigators aim to assess if digital promotions of SNAP incentive programs increase SNAP patronage and sales at farmers' markets. Eligible farmers' markets in the New England Nutrition Incentives Collaborative (NENIC) will receive digital promotions for their SNAP fruit and vegetable incentive programs on the Fresh EBT app and Facebook, randomly assigned to nearby eligible zip codes. Eligible zip codes will be randomized to receive the intervention (digital promotion) or serve as a comparison (no additional promotion) with ads running for 13 weeks (Summer 2020 market season).

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 251966
• Est. completion date: September 30, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: September 30, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Farmers' markets in the New England Nutrition Incentives Collaborative (NENIC) are eligible to participate if they were data compliant in Summer 2019 (>90% SNAP transactions reported with zip codes) and have 2 or more nearby, target zip codes.

• Zip codes are eligible if their zip code tabulation area (ZCTA) centroid is within a 7-mile (urban county) or 16-mile (rural county) travel distance of eligible NENIC farmers' market and the zip code has at least 25 active users on the Fresh EBT app

Exclusion Criteria:

• Zip code is not in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Vermont

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Food Insecurity
• Fruit and Vegetable Intake
• Healthy Diet

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Digital Promotions Group
Digital promotions on the Fresh EBT app and Facebook will run for 13 weeks, advertising a SNAP fruit and vegetable incentive at farmers' markets in New England. The intervention will be applied to zip codes randomized to the intervention arm.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy	Boston	Massachusetts

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Tufts University	United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Average number of market SNAP transactions by zip code for Summer 2020	Participating farmers' markets record individual SNAP transactions, including zip code, and upload transaction data to FM Tracks, an online platform for managing farmers' market sales. Average number of SNAP transactions will be computed.	13 weeks
Secondary	Average market SNAP-related sales by zip code for Summer 2020	Participating farmers' markets record individual SNAP transactions, including zip code, and upload transaction data to FM Tracks, an online platform for managing farmers' market sales. Average SNAP Electronic Benefit sales and incentives distributed (in dollars) will be computed.	13 weeks
Secondary	Average market new SNAP customers by zip code for Summer 2020	Participating farmers' markets record individual SNAP transactions, including zip code, and upload transaction data to FM Tracks, an online platform for managing farmers' market sales. Average number of new customers will be computed.	13 weeks