The Effect of Food Vouchers and an Educational Intervention on Promoting Healthy Eating in Vulnerable Families: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Cost has been reported as the main barrier to healthy eating in vulnerable groups. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a nutrition education intervention on adherence to Mediterranean Diet and health when providing food vouchers. This pilot study has a randomized control trial design. We included 66 vulnerable users from the Red Cross of Zaragoza (Spain). Intervention and control group individuals received 120 euros/month of food vouchers over 3 months to be spent in supermarkets (60 euros/month if under 12 y) plus a 10-week nutrition education program for the intervention group. Family food purchases were assessed using electronically recorded supermarket-obtained transactions. During and at the end of the intervention the percentage of healthy food was higher in the intervention than in the control group. Once the nutrition education was over, differences between groups dissipated. In the intervention group, health parameters improved, particularly weight-status, lipids, and liver enzymes. Control participants gained weight, although lipid and liver enzymes improved. Blood pressure and HbA1c did not improve in either the intervention or the control group. In conclusion, providing unrestricted food vouchers to vulnerable groups to increase healthy food consumption appears to be insufficient and should be accompanied by medium-long term nutrition education.

Healthy Diets on a Budget: Financially Relevant Nutrition Education Improves the Impact of Food Vouchers on Dietary Habits

“…In a pilot study, Miguel-Berges et al [7] tested whether a 14-week unrestricted food voucher program with or without parallel nutrition education would lead to better food purchases. Vouchers could be used towards any food purchase, and the researchers received purchase data directly from the participating supermarkets to assess any changes in food purchase behavior.…”

Feasibility, acceptability, and cognitive benefits of a theory-informed intervention to increase Mediterranean diet adherence and physical activity in older adults at risk of dementia: the MedEx-UK randomised controlled trial

“…The addition of a food provision component to remove barriers associated with the perceived higher price and inconvenience of healthy foods is also likely to have improved retention. Previous studies have shown that financial support improves adherence to a MD when accompanied by an educational intervention (35). We provided participants with options to choose MD components that met their personal food preferences, rather than being prespecified by study design, as personalisation has shown to lead to sustained changes in dietary behaviour (36).…”