Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Mar;50(3):217-228.e1.
doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2017.09.013. Epub 2017 Nov 7.

A Supermarket Double-Dollar Incentive Program Increases Purchases of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Among Low-Income Families With Children: The Healthy Double Study

Michele Polacsek  1 , Alyssa Moran  2 , Anne N Thorndike  3 , Rebecca Boulos  4 , Rebecca L Franckle  2 , Julie C Greene  5 , Dan J Blue  5 , Jason P Block  6 , Eric B Rimm  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A Supermarket Double-Dollar Incentive Program Increases Purchases of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Among Low-Income Families With Children: The Healthy Double Study

Michele Polacsek et al. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2018 Mar.

Erratum in

  • Corrigendum.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] J Nutr Educ Behav. 2020 Aug;52(8):826-827. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2020.05.010. Epub 2020 Aug 6. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2020. PMID: 32773132 No abstract available.

Abstract

Objective: To carry out a pilot study to determine whether a supermarket double-dollar fruit and vegetable (F&V) incentive increases F&V purchases among low-income families.

Design: Randomized controlled design. Purchases were tracked using a loyalty card that provided participants with a 5% discount on all purchases during a 3-month baseline period followed by the 4-month intervention.

Setting: A supermarket in a low-income rural Maine community.

Participants: A total of 401 low-income and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supermarket customers.

Intervention: Same-day coupon at checkout for half-off eligible fresh, frozen, or canned F&V over 4 months.

Main outcome measure: Weekly spending in dollars on eligible F&V.

Analysis: A linear model with random intercepts accounted for repeated transactions by individuals to estimate change in F&V spending per week from baseline to intervention. Secondary analyses examined changes among SNAP-eligible participants.

Results: Coupons were redeemed among 53% of eligible baskets. Total weekly F&V spending increased in the intervention arm compared with control ($1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], $0.29 to $3.88). The largest increase was for fresh F&V ($1.97; 95% CI, $0.49 to $3.44). Secondary analyses revealed greater increases in F&V spending among SNAP-eligible participants who redeemed coupons ($5.14; 95% CI, $1.93 to $8.34) than among non-SNAP eligible participants who redeemed coupons ($3.88; 95% CI, $1.67 to $6.08).

Conclusions and implications: A double-dollar pricing incentive increased F&V spending in a low-income community despite the moderate uptake of the coupon redemption. Customers who were eligible for SNAP saw the greatest F&V spending increases. Financial incentives for F&V are an effective strategy for food assistance programs to increase healthy purchases and improve dietary intake in low-income families.

Keywords: SNAP; SNAP policy; behavioral economics; financial incentives for fruit and vegetable purchase promotion; randomized controlled trial.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure :
Figure :
Analytical Samples
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies Committee on Obesity Prevention Policies for Young Children Birch Leann L., Parker Lynn, and Burns Annina, Editors (2011) Institute of Medicine. The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
    1. Ong JX, ULlah S, MAgerey A, Miller J, Leslie E. Relationship between the home environment and fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged 6–12 years: a systematic review. Public Health Nutr. 2016. November 21:1–17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27869044 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Miller P, Moore RH, Kral TVE. Children’s daily fruit and vegetable intake: associations with maternal intake and child weight status. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 2011. 43(5): 396–400. - PubMed
    1. Mushi-Brunt C, Haire-Joshu D, Eliott M. Food spending behaviors and perceptions are associated with fruit and vegetable intake among parents and their preadolescent children. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 2007; 39(1):26–30. - PubMed
    1. de Jong E, Visscher TL, HiraSing RA, Seidell JC, Renders CM. Home environmental determinants of children’s fruit and vegetable consumption across different SES backgrounds. Pediatr Obes. 2015;10(2):134–140. - PubMed

Publication types