The Evaluation of the Summer EBT for Children Demonstration

NCT02877147 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 17322
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 85,000
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The Summer Electronic Benefit for Children (SEBTC) demonstration provided food assistance to households with school-aged children during the summer through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) procedures used by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs. The evaluation design included two components: an impact study and an implementation study. The evaluation assessed the impact of SEBTC on children's food security and nutritional status, household food expenditures and purchasing behaviors, parental perceptions, and participation in nutrition assistance programs. The implementation study analyzed SEBTC use patterns using administrative data, and described demonstration implementation and costs.

Conditions

Food Insecurity Among Children; Dietary Modification

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Very low food security among children according to the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module, 30-day reference period

  The food intake of any child in the household is reduced and their normal eating patterns are disrupted because the household lacks money and other resources for food

  Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Food insecurity among children according to the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module, 30-day reference period

  Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

• Children's fruit and vegetable consumption

  Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

• Children's fruit and vegetable consumption without fried potatoes

  Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

• children's whole grain consumption

  between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

• Children's dairy consumption

  Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

Other Outcomes (3)

• Participation in SNAP

  Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

• Participation in WIC

  Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

• Food expenditures

  Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued

Study Arms (3)

$60 SEBTC Benefit Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Households received $60 per summer month when school was not in session for each eligible child (Summers 2011-2013).

Other: SEBTC

$30 SEBTC Benefit Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Households received $30 per summer month when school was not in session for each eligible child (Summer 2013 only).

Other: SEBTC

No Intervention Group

NO INTERVENTION

Households with eligible children were not issued SEBTC benefits (Summers 2011 and 2012)

Interventions

SEBTC OTHER

SEBTC benefits were issued on EBT cards using either the existing EBT delivery systems for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC). Sites selected only one of the two EBT systems to be used to implement SEBTC prior to random assignment; households were not randomized to a specific delivery system.

Also known as: food assistance, electronic benefit transfer payments

$30 SEBTC Benefit Group; $60 SEBTC Benefit Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 4 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Households with children who were certified to receive the National School Lunch program or the School Breakfast Program in the prior school year in participating sites, Summers 2011-2013

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Abt Associates: lead
• Maxiumus: collaborator
• USDA Food and Nutrition Service: collaborator
• Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.: collaborator

Related Publications (7)

• Briefel R, Collins A, Bellotti J, Klerman J, Logan CW, Cabili C, Rowe G, Greece J, Owens C, Weiss A. 2011. Congressional Status Report: Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Demonstrations. Alexandria, V: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

  BACKGROUND

• Briefel R, Collins A, Rowe G, Wolf A, Klerman JA, Logan CW, Wulsin CS, Enver A, Owens C, Jacobson J, Bell S. 2012. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: 2012 Congressional Status Report. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

  BACKGROUND

• Collins A, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Rowe G, Wolf A, Logan CW, Gordon A, Wolfson C, Enver A, l Owens C, Cabili C, Bell S. 2013. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: Evaluation Findings for the Full Implementation Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service

  RESULT

• Collins AM, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Wolf A, Rowe G, Enver A, Logan CW, Fatima S, Komarovksy M, Lyskawa J, Bell S. 2014. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: Findings for the Third Implementation Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

  RESULT

• Collins A, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Bell S, Belotti J, Logan C, Gordon A, Wolfe A, McLaughlin S, Enver A, Fernandes M, Wolfson C, Komorovsky M, Cabili C, Owens, C. 2012. Summer EBT for Children Demonstration: Evaluation Findings for the Proof of Concept Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

  RESULT

• Collins AM, Briefel, R, Klerman JA, Rowe G, Wolf A, Logan C, Enver A, Fatima S, Gordon A, Lyskawa A. (2016). Summer Electronic Benefits for Children Demonstration: Summary Report. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

  RESULT

• Collins AM, Klerman JA, Briefel R, Rowe G, Gordon AR, Logan CW, Wolf A, Bell SH. A Summer Nutrition Benefit Pilot Program and Low-income Children's Food Security. Pediatrics. 2018 Apr;141(4):e20171657. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-1657.

  PMID: 29592869 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Food Assistance

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Public Assistance; Financing, Government; Financing, Organized; Economics; Health Care Economics and Organizations

Study Officials

• Stephen Bell, Ph.D.

  Abt Associates

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Ronette Briefel

  Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: INDUSTRY
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2016
• First Posted: August 24, 2016
• Study Start: January 1, 2011
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2013
• Study Completion: September 1, 2014
• Last Updated: August 24, 2016

Record last verified: 2016-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share