University At Buffalo Campus Veggie Van Mobile Market

Adapting the Veggie Van Mobile Market Intervention to Address Disparities in Nutrition Security Among College Students

The goal of this observational study is to develop an adaptable mobile produce market model to be used on college campuses to increase college students' access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Food insecurity on college campuses threatens academic success and student well-being, and affects first generation, lower-income, and racial/ethnic minority students at higher rates. This research will include a pilot campus mobile market operated on the University at Buffalo campus. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1.) What makes it hard for students to eat healthy foods on the University at Buffalo campus, 2.) How does a mobile market need to operate on a college campus to best reach students, and 3.) What is the relationship between mobile market use and changes in how many fruits and vegetables students eat, students' ability to consistently eat foods that promote health and well-being, and participation in the Special Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Food Selection; Food Habits
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: UB Campus Veggie Van

Detailed Description

As first-generation, low-income, and racial/ethnic minority students have improved their access to higher education, food insecurity in United States campuses has increased and threatens their academic success and well-being. College food pantries have been the most common solution but only offer short-term emergency relief, and stigma has prevented their use. To provide a longer-term evidence-based approach that honors students' choices and dignity, this research will inform the development of an adaptable campus mobile market model that consistently provides access to healthy food and promotes nutrition security. The clinical trial portion of the research will evaluate how intervention dosage, gauged by University at Buffalo Campus Veggie Van (UB Veggie Van) visits, total fruit and vegetable purchasing, and incentive redemption, is associated with changes in fruit and vegetable consumption (including skin carotenoids), nutrition security measures, and Special Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment from the beginning to the end of the semester.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 125

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • Buffalo, New York, United States, 14214
      • University at Buffalo

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Food-insecure undergraduate students at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY who are attending classes for the 2024-2025 school year.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• current students at the University at Buffalo
• completed the online campus survey (Aim 1 of larger funded project)
• experienced food insecurity during Spring 2024
• undergraduate students
• at least 18 years of age
• speak English
• must plan to return to the University at Buffalo campus in Spring 2025.

Exclusion Criteria:

• non-students
• non-English speaking
• students who will not return to campus in Spring 2025
• graduate students

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Food Insecure Students; Undergraduate students who reported high to moderate food insecurity, are at least 18 years of age, speak English, and plan to return to the University at Buffalo campus in Spring 2025 will receive weekly fruit and vegetable incentives encouraging them to shop at the UB Veggie Van (intervention). They will complete incentivized data collection after 13 weeks of the intervention (incentives/access to UB Veggie Van).

Behavioral: UB Campus Veggie Van; The UB Veggie Van is based on the Veggie Van, an evidence-based mobile produce market intervention. Mobile markets are like farmers' markets on wheels that travel to underserved communities selling high-quality, low-cost produce and healthy foods. The Veggie Van mobile market model was developed through multiple research studies on the efficacy, effectiveness, and implementation of the intervention, and is a multi-level intervention that addresses the five components of nutrition security (availability, accessibility, affordability, stability, and utilization). The UB Veggie Van is operated according to the Veggie Van model, with specific adaptations made to more effectively reach the campus community (Aim 1 of the larger funded study).; Other Names: UB Veggie Van

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption	Fruit and vegetable consumption will be assessed using the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Fruit and Vegetable (FV) module	Collected at baseline and after the 13-week intervention period
Nutrition Security	The Nutrition Security, Healthfulness Choice, and Dietary Choice Measure assesses factors associated with the ability of an individual to obtain foods that meet their nutritional and health needs and dietary preferences, without resource limitations or worry. Barriers to utilization will be assessed with a measure developed by Calloway et al., which includes eight items that assess tangible and intangible barriers to preparing healthful meals from the food a person can access.	Collected at baseline and after the 13-week intervention period
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Enrollment	A single survey question asking: "Did you participate in the following programs during the [semester before or during the intervention]?: Food stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits), Special Supplemental Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits, Government cash assistance including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Social Security Insurance (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), or government assistance (but not including social security benefits).	Collected at baseline and after the 13-week intervention period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Intervention Dosage	Number of visits to the UB Veggie Van over the intervention period, total fruit and vegetable spending, and amount of purchasing incentives redeemed--these metrics will be tracked using the Veggie Van POS (Farmers Register).	Collected throughout the 13-week intervention period

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Process Measures	Survey questions on the receipt and usage of the intervention and intervention materials, including newsletters, cooking demonstrations, recipes, educational materials, etc.	Collected after the 13-week intervention period
UB Campus Veggie Van Perceptions	Measure student perceptions of the intervention using the Acceptability of Intervention Measure and the Intervention Appropriateness Measure.	Collected after the 13-week intervention period
Skin Carotenoids	We will use the "Veggie Meter", a noninvasive finger scan technology that relies on pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy. Skin carotenoid measurements correlate positively and significantly with blood carotenoids and reported dietary intake.	Collected at baseline and after the 13-week intervention period

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University at Buffalo
• Collaborators: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Lucia Leone, PhD, University at Buffalo

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 23, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 6, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 6, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): November 12, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 12, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 1R21MD019367-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); R21MD019367 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No