Does food retail access moderate the impact of fruit and vegetable incentives for SNAP participants? Evidence from western Massachusetts

Autor: Susan Bartlett, Jacob Alex Klerman, Todd Grindal, Danielle Berman, Parke Wilde, Gabe Schwartz
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Food Policy. 61:59-69
ISSN: 0306-9192
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.02.002
Popis: Objectives This study investigates whether the response of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to a 30% incentive on fruit and vegetable spending varies with their access to food retailers. Methods The analysis exploits the random assignment of SNAP households in Hampden County, MA, to an intervention group that earned the incentive. Regression models for the impact of the incentive are augmented with measures of food retail access and interactions of random assignment status with food retail access. The main outcome—use of the SNAP benefit—is based on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card transaction records. Results Although households that lived within a mile of a participating supermarket spent approximately $2.13 or 19% more per month on targeted fruits and vegetables at participating supermarkets than households that did not live within a mile of a participating supermarket, we found no evidence that the impact of the incentive on SNAP fruit and vegetable spending varies with distance to retailers. Conclusions These findings imply that incentives to purchase fruits and vegetables were equally efficacious for SNAP households with high and low access to food retailers.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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