Safety Net Support Use in California

NCT04485377 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 048228-001
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 501
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The investigator's goal is to promote equity by understanding the drivers of disparities in access to income support, particularly among urban and rural Latinx, African American, and white populations in California (CA). This study aims to capture levels of awareness, barriers to uptake, and the benefits of participation in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and families, among households with children ages 0-5 years old. To achieve this goal, the investigators will conduct a mixed-methods, cross-sectional, descriptive study in three diverse counties in California: Los Angeles (urban, nearly half Latinx), Alameda (urban, ethnically diverse), and Merced (rural, predominantly Latinx and white).

Conditions

Households

Keywords

poverty; child health; safety net programs

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (9)

• Poverty: survey

  Income Assets Food insecurity (USDA 6-Item Food Security Module, range=0-6 with 0=high food security and 6=very low food security) Food resources

  Baseline

• Employment: survey

  Employment type and status over the past year, earned/unearned income, transfers

  Baseline

• Safety net participation and perceptions of participation: survey

  Safety net program participation \& enrollment in programs, such as Special Supplemental for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Unemployment Insurance, Medi-Cal, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Covered CA, and paid sick leave and other poverty alleviation programs, perceived barriers, amount of benefits received, stigma (Welfare Stigma Scale: 6-item Treatment Welfare Stigma Scale, a multiple choice format questionnaire, possible scores 6-30, with 30 representing high stigma towards participating in welfare programs from other individuals.)

  Baseline

• Mental health: survey

  CES-D - Center for Epidemiologic Studies- Depression scale (Depression Scale: 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10), a multiple choice format questionnaire, possible scores 0-30, with 30 representing a high risk of depression diagnosis. Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale: 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), a multiple choice format questionnaire, possible scores 0-21, with 21 representing a high risk of generalized anxiety diagnosis.

  Baseline

• Physical Health: survey

  Adult and child self-rated health, comparing self-rated health to 12 months ago, occurrence of health, developmental, emotional, or behavioral problem.

  Baseline

• Health care utilization: survey

  Health care utilization, insurance, concerns about affording healthcare, last visit with a healthcare provider, delays in receiving healthcare, forgoing healthcare.

  Baseline

• COVID-19-related questions

  Effect on employment and income, essential worker, childcare/schooling, shelter-in-place, housing stability and changes, experiences with racial discrimination, risk for contracting COVID-19, ability to self-isolate, ability to partake in behaviors to prevent spread of COVID-19. Questions pulled from two different surveys: The Epidemic/Pandemic Questionnaire and COVID-19 Community Outcome Surveys.

  Baseline

• Tax Credit Question

  Self-perceived awareness, eligibility, participation, sources of information, intended vs actual spending patterns of Federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), CA EITC, Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC), and federal child tax credit (CTC), resources used to file taxes, reasons for participation or lack of participation

  Baseline

• 2018 and 2019 Tax Return Data: survey

  Awareness of tax filing deadline changes, tax filing status, number of dependents, EITC receipt, amount of EITC received, adjusted gross income, federal CTC receipt, amount of federal CTC received CA EITC receipt, amount of CA EITC receipt, YCTC receipt, amount of YCTC received.

  Baseline

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Racial discrimination: survey

  Baseline

• Housing: survey

  Baseline

• Attitudinal variables: survey

  Baseline

• Food insecurity: survey

  Baseline

• Housing-related changes from Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): survey

  Baseline

Eligibility Criteria

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

Study Population

Families living with low-income, in three selected counties in California

You may qualify if:

• Parents of children 0-6
• Lives in Alameda, Merced of Los Angeles counties
• Income below certain cut-offs

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Berkeley: lead
• University of California, San Francisco: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

UC Berkeley School of Public Health

Berkeley, California, 94704, United States

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 21, 2020
• First Posted: July 24, 2020
• Study Start: August 1, 2020
• Primary Completion: May 31, 2021
• Study Completion: May 31, 2021
• Last Updated: August 24, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)