The proposed project, Nutrition Ed, Access and Texting (NEAT): Combining the Hartford Mobile Market with e-Marketing , uses an e-technology social marketing strategy to promote use of a recently launched mobile produce market among SNAP-Ed recipients. This study will potentially increase fresh produce access and intake by combining an innovative food system change (produce mobile market) with existing SNAP-Ed nutrition education curriculum and the use of e-marketing technology.
The proposed project, Nutrition Ed, Access and Texting (NEAT): Combining the Hartford Mobile Market with e-Marketing uses an e-technology social marketing strategy to promote use of a recently launched mobile produce market among SNAP-Ed recipients. This study will potentially increase fresh produce access and intake by combining an innovative food system change (produce mobile market) with existing SNAP-Ed nutrition education curriculum and the use of e-marketing technology. Thus, the study combines key elements that have been deemed necessary for increasing produce intake among low income communities. The goal of the NEAT study is to assess the impact of a texting-based social marketing campaign on SNAP-Ed participants' access to and purchase of fresh produce on a recently launched mobile produce market, and their subsequent produce intake. Objectives include: 1) Compare the impact of nutrition education alone to nutrition education plus promotional text messaging on purchase of fruits and vegetables; 2) Compare the impact of nutrition education alone to nutrition education plus promotional text messaging on consumption of fruits and vegetables; and 3) Assess the effectiveness of coupon distribution on coupon redemption at a mobile produce market. The NEAT design will be a randomized controlled trial using a pre-post assessment comparing change in behavior. Both intervention and control groups will receive SNAP-Ed education as currently delivered by the Hispanic Health Council. The intervention group will receive additional promotional text messaging related to use of the mobile market. The control group will receive text messaging about free activities taking place at the Hartford Public Library and other community locations. Participants will be interviewed via phone at baseline, then randomized to intervention and control groups, and re-interviewed again 6 weeks after they start receiving the text messages, which it will be 2 weeks after the one-month texting period ends.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
200
Change in consumption of fruits
Measured with one question about daily consumption of fruits from a seven item fruit and vegetable checklist developed by Townsend et.al.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks follow up
Change in consumption of vegetables.
Measured with a one question from a seven item fruit and vegetable checklist developed by Townsend et.al.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks follow up
Change in fruits eating behaviors Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables
Measured with a readiness 5 item continuous scale item for fruits from fruit and vegetable inventory validated by Townsend et.al.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks follow up
Change in vegetables eating behaviors. Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables
Measured with a 5 item continuous scale from vegetables from fruit and vegetable inventory validated by Townsend et.al.
Time frame: Baseline and 6 weeks follow up
Change in amount of money spent on fruits and vegetables.
self-reported amount of money spent on fresh produce per month.
Time frame: Baseline and at 6 week follow up
Change in amount of money spent on fruits.
self-reported amount of money spent on fruit per week.
Time frame: Baseline and at 6 week follow up
Change in amount of money spent on vegetables.
self-reported amount of money spent on vegetables per week.
Time frame: Baseline and at 6 week follow up
Change in self reported usage of the Hartford Mobile Market for buying fresh produce
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self-reported participant's usage of mobile market (yes/no)
Time frame: baseline and at 6 weeks follow up
Participant utilization of coupons
Based on one yes/no question about coupon redemption
Time frame: 6 week follow up
Participant's satisfaction with e-texting messages (likeness)
Self reported satisfaction with nutrition messages using a 5- likert scale (like it very much to dislike it very much)
Time frame: 6 weeks follow up
Participant's assessment of usefulness of the messages
Self reported continuous 4 likert scale from not useful to very much useful.
Time frame: 6 weeks follow up
Participant's assessment of usefulness of the coupons
Self reported continuous 4 likert scale from not useful to very much useful.
Time frame: 6 week follow up