Fresh Start: Increasing Early Produce Intake

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia50 enrolled

Overview

Nearly 22% of children in Philadelphia live in food-insecure (FI) households, often leading to reliance on inexpensive, nutrient-poor foods and associated poor health outcomes. Despite this, utilization of food benefit programs is often low, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). In the prior qualitative study, Investigators found that parents desire to increase their children's intake of produce but face many barriers to produce access; caregivers described a preference for delivery-based, low-or-no cost food programs to increase produce access and intake among children. This pilot trial seeks to assess the effectiveness of a short-term, tiered-fee produce delivery program in retaining participants and increasing produce access and intake among families with WIC-eligible children

Investigators are piloting a produce box delivery program to approximately 50 WIC-eligible, low-income families in West Philadelphia in partnership with the Farm to Families Initiative (St. Christopher's Foundation for Children) and Food Connect, a local food delivery program. Both partnerships have been previously established and are maintained through the Office of Community Relations. The program will be 8 weeks in duration; in the first 4 weeks, all families will receive a free, weekly produce box from Farm to Families. In the second two weeks, the 50 families will be randomized into two groups, each with 25 participants. One group will be asked to pay $5 for the produce box and the other group will pay $10, using food benefits or their own income. Recipes that include foods in the produce box will be included with the delivery along with children's activities (books, coloring pages, card games, etc.) related to fruits and vegetables. Participating parents will complete three online surveys throughout the program. These pre-, mid-, and post-intervention surveys will assess the effect of the program and participant satisfaction. The expected goals are to: 1. Evaluate the effect of different pricing models on participation of low-income, WIC-eligible families in a produce delivery program 2. Evaluate the efficacy of a low-cost produce delivery program to increase perceived intake of produce among low-income young children. 3. Evaluate efficacy of a low-cost produce delivery program to increase perceived access to produce among low-income families in West Philadelphia.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Interventions

Group A: $5 produce boxOTHER

Participants receive free weekly produce boxes delivered to their home for the first 4 weeks of the study and are then randomized to pay $5 per box (with continued free weekly delivery) for the remaining 4 weeks of the study. Participants also complete survey at the beginning, middle, and end of the produce delivery program.

Group B: $10 produce boxOTHER

Participants receive free weekly produce boxes delivered to their home for the first 4 weeks of the study and are then randomized to pay $10 per box (with continued free weekly delivery) for the remaining 4 weeks of the study. Participants also complete survey at the beginning, middle, and end of the produce delivery program.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: Subjects must: 1. Be over 18 years of age 2. Be the parent or guardian for children ages 0 to 5 years of age who receive or are eligible to receive WIC benefits 3. Be the parent or guardian for children ages 0 to 5 years of age who receive pediatric care at CHOP Primary Care - Cobbs Creek 4. Live or have access to an address where packages can be delivered 5. Have access to an electronic device and internet in order to access the online produce box ordering portal 6. Be willing to complete three 10-15 minute surveys throughout the intervention either online or via telephone 7. Consent to have their contact information shared with Farm to Families and Food Connect Exclusion Criteria: Subjects must not: 1. Be participating in another intervention which provides produce just prior to or simultaneous with participation in this study (e.g. Farm Food Box Program, etc.) 2. Be subjects who, in the opinion of the Investigator(s), may be non-compliant with study schedules or procedures Subjects that do not meet all of the enrollment criteria may not be enrolled. Any violations of these criteria must be reported in accordance with IRB Policies and Procedures.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Number of participants in both groups who continue to participate in the program weekly in different pricing models

Participant ordering in each group will be tracked weekly in RedCap for week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Time frame: 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Evaluate the impact of the produce delivery program on perceived intake and enjoyment of fruits and vegetables

The impact of the produce delivery program on perceived intake and enjoyment of fruits and vegetables will be measured using open-ended questions and 5-point Likert scale pre-enrollment, at midpoint during weeks 4-6, and at the end of the intervention after week 8. The measures of the scale include (1)Never, (2)Rarely, (3)Sometimes, (4)Often, and (5) Always.

Time frame: Up to 6 months

Assess the efficacy of the produce delivery program in improving perceived diet

The efficacy of the produce delivery program in improving perceived diet of participants and their children will be measured using open-ended questions and 5-point Likert scale pre-enrollment, at midpoint during weeks 4-6, and at the end of the intervention after week 8. The measures of the scale include (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neither Agree or Disagree, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly Agree.

Time frame: Up to 6 months

Evaluate the efficacy of the produce delivery program in improving perceived produce access, including attainability and cost, among the study population

The efficacy of the produce delivery program in improving perceived produce access will be measured using open-ended questions and 5-point Likert scale pre-enrollment, at midpoint during weeks 4-6, and at the end of the intervention after week 8. The measures of the scale include (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neither Agree or Disagree, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly Agree.

Time frame: Up to 6 months

Assess self-efficacy among the study population in regards to preparing home-cooked meals, particularly with fruits and vegetables.

Self-efficacy among the study population in regards to preparing home-cooked meals, particularly with fruits and vegetables will be measured using open-ended questions and 5-point Likert scale pre-enrollment, at midpoint during weeks 4-6, and at the end of the intervention after week 8. The measures of the scale include (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neither Agree or Disagree, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly Agree.

Time frame: Up to 6 months

Evaluate for changes in reported food insecurity among the stated study population.

Investigators will evaluate for food insecurity using a validated food insecurity screening tool pre-enrollment, at midpoint during weeks 4-6, and at the end of the intervention after week 8. Questions in the tool include (1)In the past 30 days, we worried that our food would run out before we got money to buy more; (2) In the past 30 days, the food we bought ran out and we didn't have money to get more; and (3) In the past 30 days, we couldn't afford to eat balanced meals. Response options include (1) Often True, (2) Sometimes True, and (3) Never True.

Time frame: Up to 6 months

Determine if the Fresh Start produce delivery program leads to changes in food purchasing patterns among the study population.

Impact of the produce delivery program leading to changes in food purchasing patterns will be measured using open-ended questions and 4-point Likert scale at midpoint during weeks 4-6 and at the end of the intervention after week 8. The measures of the scale include (1) I Buy Less, (2) I Buy The Same Amount, (3) I Buy More, and (4) Does Not Apply/I Have Never Bought This.

Time frame: Up to 6 months

Assess participant satisfaction with the Fresh Start produce delivery program

Investigators will assess participant satisfaction with the Fresh Start produce delivery program will be measured using open-ended questions and 5-point Likert scale at midpoint during weeks 4-6 and at the end of the intervention after week 8. The measures of the scale include (1)Very Unhappy, (2) Unhappy, (3)Neutral, (4)Happy, and (5) Very Happy.

Time frame: Up to 6 months

Fresh Start: Increasing Early Produce Intake

Overview

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes