Fruits and Vegetables Incentives Study

Impact of Real-Time Incentives on Fruit and Vegetable Purchases and Diet

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of financial incentives delivered in real-time at point of purchase, on low-income consumers' purchase of fruits and vegetables, fruits and vegetables consumption, diet quality, and weight/BMI. The study will test real-time incentives compared to a no-incentive control condition.

To address diet quality disparities in low-income families, policy makers and health experts recommend strategies such as financial incentives to promote consumption of fruits and vegetables. Real-time incentives for purchasing fruits and vegetables are promising strategies to improve families' diets and health.

The aims of the study are:

1. To test the effects of financial incentives, delivered in real-time at the point of purchase, on low-income consumer purchases of fruits and vegetables
2. To evaluate the impact of real-time financial incentives compared to a control condition on FV consumption among adults and their children ,shopping habits, home food environments, diet quality, and weight/BMI
3. To adapt mobile platform technology to provide regular feedback to participants to motivate use of the incentive program to increase purchases and consumption of fruits and vegetables
4. To evaluate participant satisfaction with real-time healthy food choice incentives technology in both SNAP participants and income-eligible non-SNAP participants
5. To assess the acceptability and ease of use of real-time healthy food choice incentives technology among retails supermarket managers and staff in low-income neighborhoods.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years of age or older
• Speak English
• Do most of their food shopping at a participating supermarket
• Receive or are eligible to receive SNAP benefits
• Have a child in the household between the ages of 2-17
• Have a working smartphone
• Be the main household shopper

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants will be excluded if the primary shopper and/or any children in the family have major medical or dental conditions that would prevent them from eating fruits and vegetables, or if they have a serious neurological disorder, dementia, or psychiatric condition that interferes with understanding study procedures