Online Grocery Shopping Interventions Enhance Healthy Food Purchases and Reduce Food Insecurity
A recent pilot study reveals that incentivizing online grocery shopping can increase healthy food purchases and reduce food insecurity among low-income families, paving the way for scalable nutrition interventions.
Recent research highlights the potential of online grocery shopping programs to improve food access and promote healthier eating habits among low-income families. Expanding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to include online food purchases initially increased access to markets, yet studies revealed that participants still bought fewer fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Addressing these gaps, a new pilot intervention tested different incentives aimed at overcoming barriers such as lack of awareness, high delivery fees, and trust issues.
The study involved 59 participants from the Bronx, who were randomly assigned to four groups: receiving free delivery, getting dollar matches for healthy produce, receiving weekly shopping tips via text, or using meal plans with grocery lists—all accompanied by free delivery. The researchers evaluated the program’s feasibility by tracking how many participants created online shopping accounts and gathered feedback through surveys.
Results showed that nearly half of the caregivers (47%) opened an online grocery account after participating, and household spending on healthy foods increased slightly from 20% to 21.6%. Importantly, there was also a modest decrease in household food insecurity, measured by a 0.6-point reduction on USDA scales. Participants appreciated the program’s resources, with many finding the tutorial videos, text tips, and delivery fee waivers useful.
Angela Trude, an assistant professor of nutrition at NYU Steinhardt, emphasized the importance of these findings, stating, 'Seeing families gain more reliable access to healthy foods is deeply encouraging and motivates us to expand this work.' The pilot’s success suggests that targeted incentives and educational support can significantly influence healthy purchasing behaviors in low-income communities.
The study’s insights are paving the way for scaling such interventions, with ongoing collaborations involving community organizations, retailers, and policymakers. The goal is to identify cost-effective, scalable strategies to enhance food and nutrition security for vulnerable populations.
Source: MedicalXpress
For more information, refer to the original publication in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
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