A Trial of Behavioral Economic Interventions Among Food Pantry Clients

NCT04011384 | Completed Results

• 3 other identifiers: UPCC 06022R01CA229502829702
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 286
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Obesity, unhealthy dietary habits, and food insecurity are major public health concerns, especially affecting individuals living in poverty. Food pantries, which provide free food to those in need, are increasingly interested in promoting healthy choices, but few rigorous studies have tested healthy eating interventions in food pantry settings. The overall objective of this proposal is to conduct a randomized-controlled trial among 500 regular food pantry clients to compare the influence of a behavioral economic intervention to promote healthier food choices delivered via a web-based ordering platform to usual care (control group).

Conditions

Food Preferences

Keywords

Food Assistance; Economics, Behavioral; Food Labeling; Diet Records; Biomarkers

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Mean Monthly Change in Number of Units of Healthier Foods

  Average monthly change from baseline across 3 months of participation, in number of units of healthier foods (labeled with a green traffic light) purchased per shopping trip using the food pantry's definition of a unit.

  Collected from the online system at baseline and then each month for the remaining 3 months of participation.

• Mean Monthly Change in Number of Units of Less Healthy Foods

  Average monthly change from baseline across 3 months of participation, in number of units of less healthy foods (labeled with a red or yellow traffic light) purchased per shopping trip using the food pantry's definition of a unit.

  Collected from the online system at baseline and then each month for the remaining 3 months of participation.

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Mean Monthly Change in Calories From Healthier Foods Per Shopping Trip

  Collected from the online system at baseline and then each month for the remaining 3 months of participation.

• Mean Monthly Change in Calories From Less Healthy Foods Per Shopping Trip

  Collected from the online system at baseline and then each month for the remaining 3 months of participation.

• Self-reported Change in Fruit and Vegetable Intake

  Assessed at baseline and 3 months.

• Biomarker Change in Fruit and Vegetable Intake

  Assessed at baseline and 3 months.

• Change in Body Mass Index (BMI)

  Assessed at baseline and 3 months.

Study Arms (2)

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this arm will view the typical web-based ordering system platform (usual care group).

Behavioral Economic Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will be exposed to the web-based ordering system with multiple behavioral economic interventions applied, including healthy food shopping cart defaults, healthy placement choice architecture, traffic light nutrition labels, social norms messaging, and healthy swaps.

Behavioral: Behavioral economic intervention of online purchasing at a food pantry

Interventions

Behavioral economic intervention of online purchasing at a food pantry BEHAVIORAL

This intervention includes multiple behavioral economic interventions, healthy food shopping cart defaults, healthy placement choice architecture, traffic light nutrition labels, social norms messaging, and healthy swaps.

Behavioral Economic Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• ≥18 years old
• primary grocery shopper for the family
• a regular in-person client at the food pantry (i.e., shops at pantry ≥ 1 per month)
• able to use the web-based touchscreen ordering system
• able to use a blood pressure cuff and scale provided to them for taking blood pressure and weight
• able to come outside their home for 5 minutes for the Veggie Meter measurement

You may not qualify if:

• \<18 years old
• not the primary grocery shopper for the family
• not a regular client at the food pantry (i.e., shops at pantry \< 1 per month)
• not able to use the web-based touchscreen ordering system
• not able to use a blood pressure cuff and scale provided to them for taking blood pressure and weight
• not able to come outside their home for 5 minutes for the Veggie Meter measurement

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine: lead
• Massachusetts General Hospital: collaborator
• University of Connecticut: collaborator
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Food Preferences; Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding Behavior

Limitations and Caveats

Recruiting and assessing measurements (height, weight, blood pressure, and carotenoid levels) in person were limited by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the middle of the study. In addition, monthly food pantry use was certainly impacted by the pandemic as well.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Laura Gibson
• Organization: University of Pennsylvania

gibla@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

215-898-7093

Study Officials

• Christina A Roberto, PhD

  University of Pennsylvania

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: The research team will create the randomization list and a research assistant will assign the participant to the correct online platform condition, but the investigators and data analysts will remain blind to group assignment. This study will contain two parallel groups. Although participants will not initially be aware of the other study condition, they will not be blinded to study condition because those in the intervention condition will be viewing the altered ordering platform as they shop.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics & Health Policy

Model Details: The researchers will recruit 500 regular food pantry clients to participate in a randomized-controlled trial that involves visiting the food pantry and selecting food using the web-based ordering system, having physical measurements collected by study staff, completing food frequency questionnaires, completing a health survey, and getting a blood draw to measure fruit and vegetable intake and health outcomes from biomarkers. Participants will be randomized to 1 of 2 conditions: 1) control group (usual care); or 2) behavioral economic intervention group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 5, 2019
• First Posted: July 8, 2019
• Study Start: July 5, 2019
• Primary Completion: December 21, 2022
• Study Completion: December 21, 2022
• Last Updated: February 29, 2024
• Results First Posted: February 29, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)