Higher Fruit and Vegetable Intake Is Associated with Participation in the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) Program

Abstract

Incentivizing fruit and vegetable (F&V) purchases may help address barriers to healthy eating among populations with low income. In a repeated measures natural experiment study, we examined whether participation in the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program increased F&V consumption among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. Two hundred and twelve participants recruited at baseline through telephone calls were informed about the availability of DUFB at their local farmers’ market (FM). F&V consumption frequency and DUFB use were obtained at baseline, mid FM, and end of FM season approximately 5 months later. Participants (N = 212) were primarily white (76.4%) women (77.3%) with an average age of 43.5 years. Only 34 participants opted to use the DUFB program. A linear mixed model showed a significant main effect of DUFB use (p = 0.001) and of time (p = 0.002), with a decrease in F&V intake over time. Compared to non-users, DUFB users had a significantly higher F&V consumption at baseline and midpoint (p = 0.02 and p = 0.02, respectively). F&V consumption was associated with participation in the DUFB program and higher F&V consumption frequency was observed prior to program use among program participants. Future interventions that specifically target SNAP recipients with low F&V intake to use the DUFB program are needed.

Comparing the impact of subsidies and health prompts on choice process variables and food choice: The case of dietary fiber

“…This program has been adopted for implementation with low-income households who participate in the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administered through the USDA (Steele-Adjognon and Weatherspoon, 2017). Analyses of the impact of DUFB on fruit and vegetable purchases and consumption show statistically significant but modest increases (Atoloye et al, 2021;Durward et al, 2019;Steele-Adjognon and Weatherspoon, 2017;Wielenga et al, 2020;Zimmerman et al, 2016).…”

Recommendations for Integrating Evidence-Based, Sustainable Diet Information into Nutrition Education

“…Provide addresses of local farmers' markets, farm stands, and community-supported agriculture (CSA); provide lists of local and seasonal foods; and if working with low-income participants, share information on CSA work programs [196] and incentive programs at local farmers' markets, and if needed, work with vendors to provide incentives for low-income community members (e.g., doubled value of benefit dollars [197,198])…”

Effect of Financial Incentives and Default Options on Food Choices of Adults With Low Income in Online Retail Settings

“…10,11 A smaller body of evidence suggests that such incentives also lead to modest improvements in fruit and vegetable consumption. 12,13 This body of evidence has supported the introduction and passage of legislation to scale incentives, including the Rhode Island Public Assistance Act. 14 These previous studies, however, often do not use an unbiased study design or do not collect data from a large, national sample.…”

“…Nutrition incentive programs that match SNAP dollars have been shown to increase sales of produce in brick-and-mortar supermarkets, farmers’ markets, and mobile produce markets . A smaller body of evidence suggests that such incentives also lead to modest improvements in fruit and vegetable consumption . This body of evidence has supported the introduction and passage of legislation to scale incentives, including the Rhode Island Public Assistance Act .…”