Evaluation of Demonstrations to End Childhood Hunger - NV (EDECHNV)

Evaluation of Demonstrations to End Childhood Hunger - Nevada

The 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization provided funding to test innovative strategies to end childhood hunger and food insecurity. Demonstration projects were funded in Chickasaw Nation, Kentucky, Navajo Nation, Nevada, and Virginia. This study focuses on Nevada.

SNAP households were randomly assigned to receive either: (1) $40 extra in SNAP benefits per eligible child (<5 years) per month; (2) $40 extra in SNAP benefits per eligible child per month plus case management and nutrition education; or (3) only regular monthly SNAP benefit. The first two groups were the treatment arms and the third was the control group.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Food Insecurity Among Children
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Nevada Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Demonstration Benefits

Detailed Description

Objectives: To (1) reduce food insecurity among children; (2) increase enrollment in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and other nutrition assistance programs; and (3) improve nutrition and healthy shopping habits through nutrition education.

Target Population: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households with children under age 5 and incomes below 75 percent of the Federal Poverty Level living in Clark County, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Intervention: SNAP households were randomly assigned to receive either: (1) $40 extra in SNAP benefits per eligible child (<5 years) per month; (2) $40 extra in SNAP benefits per eligible child per month plus case management and nutrition education; or (3) only regular monthly SNAP benefit. The first two groups were the treatment arms and the third was the control group.

The two treatment groups were ultimately combined because of the low uptake of case management and nutrition education.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 7246
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: No older than 4 years (CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households with children under age 5 and incomes below 75 percent of the Federal Poverty Level living in Clark County, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Nevada Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Demonstration Benefits; SNAP households were randomly assigned to receive either: (1) $40 extra in SNAP benefits per eligible child (<5 years) per month (n=1,919); (2) $40 extra in SNAP benefits per eligible child per month plus case management and nutrition education (n=1,919); or (3) only regular monthly SNAP benefit (n=7,467). The first two groups were the treatment arms and the third was the control group.	Other: Nevada Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Demonstration Benefits; SNAP households with children under age 5 incomes below 75% of the federal poverty level living in Clark County, Nevada received $40 in extra SNAP benefits per eligible child, and access to case management and nutrition education.
NO_INTERVENTION: Control Group; The control group received regularly allotted SNAP benefits.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Food Insecurity among Children	Measured by the United States Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). Affirming 2 or more out of the 8 child-level items in the HFSSM. Higher scores generally indicates worsening food insecurity.	30 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Very Low Food Insecurity among Children	Measured by the United States Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). Affirming 5 or more out of the 8 child-level items in the HFSSM. Higher scores generally indicates worsening food insecurity.	30 days
Food Insecurity among Adults	Measured by the United States Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). Affirming 3 or more out of the 10 adult-level items in the HFSSM. Higher scores generally indicates worsening food insecurity.	30 days
Household Food Insecurity	Measured by the United States Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). Affirming 3 or more out of the 18 items in the HFSSM. Higher scores generally indicates worsening food insecurity.	30 days
Food Expenditures	Total amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and out-of-pocket food purchases in dollars	30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
• Collaborators: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Gleason PM, Kleinman R, Chojnacki GJ, Briefel RR, Forrestal SG. Measuring the Effects of a Demonstration to Reduce Childhood Food Insecurity: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Nevada Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Project. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2021 Jan;121(1S):S22-S33. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2020.03.002.

Helpful Links

• Final Report

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): June 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): May 1, 2017
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): May 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 12, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 30, 2020
• First Posted (ACTUAL): February 5, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): February 5, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 30, 2020
• Last Verified: January 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Food security; Hunger; Young children; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Food expenditures
• Other Study ID Numbers: AG-3198-C-14-0019 (Nevada)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Public-use data files are available by request by contacting Michael Burke (michael.burke@usda.gov) or the Office of Policy Support within the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: April 2019

Drug and device information, study documents

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