Clinical trial NCT02877147: The Evaluation of the Summer EBT for Children Demonstration
Official title: The Evaluation of the Summer Electronic Benefits for Children Demonstration
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Food Insecurity Among Children
Dietary Modification
Lead sponsor: Abt Associates
Sponsor class: INDUSTRY
Collaborators: name: Maxiumus
name: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
name: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
First posted: 2016-08-24
Enrollment: 85000
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 4
Maximum age (years): 18
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The Summer Electronic Benefit for Children (SEBTC) demonstration provided food assistance to households with school-aged children during the summer through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) procedures used by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs. The evaluation design included two components: an impact study and an implementation study. The evaluation assessed the impact of SEBTC on children's food security and nutritional status, household food expenditures and purchasing behaviors, parental perceptions, and participation in nutrition assistance programs. The implementation study analyzed SEBTC use patterns using administrative data, and described demonstration implementation and costs.

Detailed description: The SEBTC evaluation took place in the summers of 2011 through 2014. Ten grantees implemented the demonstration in a total of 16 sites; the number of participating sites and/or the evaluation components differed by year. In 2011, 5 grantees with five sites participated and the evaluation included implementation and cost analysis, EBT analysis, and an impact study. In 2012, 10 grantees implemented SEBTC in 14 sites and the evaluation included the same study components. In 2013, four grantees with six sites participated and the study components included EBT analysis and an impact study (no implementation or cost data collection). Finally, in 2014, three grantees participated in three sites and only implementation data were collected. Information on human subjects was collected for the evaluation's impact evaluation.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Households with children who were certified to receive the National School Lunch program or the School Breakfast Program in the prior school year in participating sites, Summers 2011-2013

Primary outcomes:
measure: Very low food security among children according to the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module, 30-day reference period
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Food insecurity among children according to the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module, 30-day reference period
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Children's fruit and vegetable consumption
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Children's fruit and vegetable consumption without fried potatoes
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: children's whole grain consumption
timeFrame: between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Children's dairy consumption
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Children's consumption of low- and non-fat milk
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Children's consumption of added sugars
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Children's consumption of added sugars excluding cereals
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Children's consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
Other outcomes:
measure: Participation in SNAP
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Participation in WIC
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
measure: Food expenditures
timeFrame: Between 30 and 120 days after SEBTC benefits were issued
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Abt Associates
name: Stephen Bell, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
name: Ronette Briefel
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Briefel R, Collins A, Bellotti J, Klerman J, Logan CW, Cabili C, Rowe G, Greece J, Owens C, Weiss A. 2011. Congressional Status Report: Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Demonstrations. Alexandria, V: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
citation: Briefel R, Collins A, Rowe G, Wolf A, Klerman JA, Logan CW, Wulsin CS, Enver A, Owens C, Jacobson J, Bell S. 2012. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: 2012 Congressional Status Report. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
citation: Collins A, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Rowe G, Wolf A, Logan CW, Gordon A, Wolfson C, Enver A, l Owens C, Cabili C, Bell S. 2013. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: Evaluation Findings for the Full Implementation Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
citation: Collins AM, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Wolf A, Rowe G, Enver A, Logan CW, Fatima S, Komarovksy M, Lyskawa J, Bell S. 2014. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: Findings for the Third Implementation Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
citation: Collins A, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Bell S, Belotti J, Logan C, Gordon A, Wolfe A, McLaughlin S, Enver A, Fernandes M, Wolfson C, Komorovsky M, Cabili C, Owens, C. 2012. Summer EBT for Children Demonstration: Evaluation Findings for the Proof of Concept Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
citation: Collins AM, Briefel, R, Klerman JA, Rowe G, Wolf A, Logan C, Enver A, Fatima S, Gordon A, Lyskawa A. (2016). Summer Electronic Benefits for Children Demonstration: Summary Report. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
citation: Collins AM, Klerman JA, Briefel R, Rowe G, Gordon AR, Logan CW, Wolf A, Bell SH. A Summer Nutrition Benefit Pilot Program and Low-income Children's Food Security. Pediatrics. 2018 Apr;141(4):e20171657. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-1657.