#WYMarketsMatter: Testing Two Farmers Market Voucher Strategies to Increase Food Security

Testing Two Farmers Market Voucher Strategies to Increase Food Security

University of Wyoming (UW) and Wyoming Food for Thought Project (WFFTP) propose to collaboratively develop, pilot, and evaluate a trial on the impact of market vouchers on food security and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption. We will (a) provide farmers market vouchers to families who are enrolled in WIC, SNAP, or free or reduced lunch and/or have incomes ≤185% of poverty line; (b) assess impacts of these supports on household food security and F&V consumption; and (c) test feasibility and impacts of vouchers valid only for F&V vs. for any foods that can be purchased with SNAP.

To test the feasibility and preliminary impacts of this approach, we will enroll 30 individuals/households in this study, randomizing 10 to each of the 2 intervention arms and 10 to waitlist control. Qualifying individuals and families will be able to enroll in the study at the WFFTP Tuesday afternoon/evening market on July 30th, 2019. They will be randomized upon enrollment to one of three conditions: receiving $20 in vouchers at each of up to 4 markets ($80 total) that are good for F&V only, receiving $20 vouchers at each of up to 4 markets that are good for any foods that SNAP/EBT benefits can be used for; or delayed intervention/waitlist control (who, at the final data gathering, will receive 5 x $20 in vouchers good at the WFFTP 2019 and 2020 markets).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Food Security; Produce Consumption
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Market vouchers

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Wyoming
    • Laramie, Wyoming, United States, 82071
      • University of Wyoming

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

To be eligible for the intervention, a participant must be an adult aged ≥18 years old whose household is enrolled in or eligible for SNAP, free or reduced school lunch program, and/or WIC (i.e., incomes of ≤185% of poverty for household size). UW staff wills screen for eligibility by verifying a participant has an EBT card. If no card is available, participants will be asked to self-report household income and size and UW staff will use the Federal Poverty Level chart to determine the individual's eligibility. They must also self-identify as living in Casper, Wyoming. They must come in person to the market on July 30th, 2019, to enroll.

Exclusion Criteria:

Not meeting the criteria above.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Voucher intervention F&V; Receiving $20 in vouchers at each of up to 4 markets ($80 total) that are good for F&V only	Behavioral: Market vouchers; Receiving $80 in vouchers good for fruits and vegetables or for SNAP-eligible foods at 4 out of 5 markets in late July and in August, 2019.
Experimental: Voucher intervention SNAP; Receiving $20 vouchers at each of up to 4 markets that are good for any foods that SNAP/EBT benefits can be used for	Behavioral: Market vouchers; Receiving $80 in vouchers good for fruits and vegetables or for SNAP-eligible foods at 4 out of 5 markets in late July and in August, 2019.
No Intervention: Waitlist control; Delayed intervention/waitlist control (who, at the final data gathering, will receive 5 x $20 in vouchers good at the WFfT 2019 and 2020 markets).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Food security	USDA six-item short form Food Security Survey Module. They have been adapted to reflect food security in the previous 30 days (as opposed to 12 months) in order to compare food security before and during the intervention. Survey and tools available online at http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/survey-tools.aspx#.VEk0Bfl4qug	five week intervention, questions for past 30 days
Fruit and vegetable consumption	The 16 relevant questions from the National Institutes of Health survey "Eating at America's Table Study: Quick Food Scan."	five week intervention, questions for past 30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Wyoming
• Collaborators: Wyoming Food for Thought

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 30, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 30, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): August 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 24, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 24, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): April 29, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 3, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 2, 2020
• Last Verified: November 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Farmers Markets; Vouchers
• Other Study ID Numbers: 3077662143

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No