Clinical trial NCT04011384: A Trial of Behavioral Economic Interventions Among Food Pantry Clients
Official title: A Randomized Trial of Web-based Behavioral Economic Interventions to Promote Healthy Food Choices Among Food Pantry Clients
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Food Preferences
Keywords: Food Assistance
Economics, Behavioral
Food Labeling
Diet Records
Biomarkers
Lead sponsor: Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Massachusetts General Hospital
name: University of Connecticut
name: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
First posted: 2019-07-08
Enrollment: 286
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: The researchers will recruit 500 regular food pantry clients to participate in a randomized-controlled trial that involves visiting the food pantry and selecting food using the web-based ordering system, having physical measurements collected by study staff, completing food frequency questionnaires, completing a health survey, and getting a blood draw to measure fruit and vegetable intake and health outcomes from biomarkers. Participants will be randomized to 1 of 2 conditions: 1) control group (usual care); or 2) behavioral economic intervention group.
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Obesity, unhealthy dietary habits, and food insecurity are major public health concerns, especially affecting individuals living in poverty. Food pantries, which provide free food to those in need, are increasingly interested in promoting healthy choices, but few rigorous studies have tested healthy eating interventions in food pantry settings. The overall objective of this proposal is to conduct a randomized-controlled trial among 500 regular food pantry clients to compare the influence of a behavioral economic intervention to promote healthier food choices delivered via a web-based ordering platform to usual care (control group).

Detailed description: The primary objective of this proposal is to evaluate the influence of a web-based behavioral economic intervention compared to a control group on the following outcomes among food pantry clients: 1) Nutritional quality of food chosen at the pantry using food transaction data; 2) Fruit and vegetable intake measured by biomarkers and food frequency questionnaires; 3) Objectively measured biomarkers of health. The web-based behavioral economic intervention will include the following modifications to the online shopping platform: 1) Healthy food shopping cart defaults, 2) healthy placement choice architecture, 3) traffic light nutrition labels, 4) social norms messaging, and 5) healthy swaps. Food transaction data will be collected from the online system at baseline and then continuously for the remaining 3 months of the study (participants typically shop monthly). Surveys and objective biomarkers will be collected at baseline and three-months.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* ≥18 years old
* primary grocery shopper for the family
* a regular in-person client at the food pantry (i.e., shops at pantry ≥ 1 per month)
* able to use the web-based touchscreen ordering system
* able to use a blood pressure cuff and scale provided to them for taking blood pressure and weight
* able to come outside their home for 5 minutes for the Veggie Meter measurement

Exclusion Criteria:

* \<18 years old
* not the primary grocery shopper for the family
* not a regular client at the food pantry (i.e., shops at pantry \< 1 per month)
* not able to use the web-based touchscreen ordering system
* not able to use a blood pressure cuff and scale provided to them for taking blood pressure and weight
* not able to come outside their home for 5 minutes for the Veggie Meter measurement

Primary outcomes:
measure: Mean Monthly Change in Number of Units of Healthier Foods
timeFrame: Collected from the online system at baseline and then each month for the remaining 3 months of participation.
measure: Mean Monthly Change in Number of Units of Less Healthy Foods
timeFrame: Collected from the online system at baseline and then each month for the remaining 3 months of participation.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Mean Monthly Change in Calories From Healthier Foods Per Shopping Trip
timeFrame: Collected from the online system at baseline and then each month for the remaining 3 months of participation.
measure: Mean Monthly Change in Calories From Less Healthy Foods Per Shopping Trip
timeFrame: Collected from the online system at baseline and then each month for the remaining 3 months of participation.
measure: Self-reported Change in Fruit and Vegetable Intake
timeFrame: Assessed at baseline and 3 months.
measure: Biomarker Change in Fruit and Vegetable Intake
timeFrame: Assessed at baseline and 3 months.
measure: Change in Body Mass Index (BMI)
timeFrame: Assessed at baseline and 3 months.
measure: Change in Systolic Blood Pressure
timeFrame: Assessed at baseline and 3 months.
measure: Change in Diastolic Blood Pressure
timeFrame: Assessed at baseline and 3 months.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Philadelphia
country: United States
facility: University of Pennsylvania
state: Pennsylvania
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
name: Christina A Roberto, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: