Established Evidence Results

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): WIC Food Package Change, Food Supports

Intervention Description: Between January 2017 and March 2018, treatment households on SNAP received additional monthly benefits ranging from $1 to $122 based on distance to grocery store and earned income.

Intervention Results: The Kentucky Ticket to Healthy Food project did not reduce the primary outcome, FI-C (treatment=37.1%, control=35.2%; P=0.812), or secondary outcomes of very low food security among children (treatment=3.7%, control=4.4%; P=0.204) or food insecurity among adults (treatment=53.9%, control=53.0%; P=0.654). The project increased households' monthly food spending by $20 (P=0.030) and led more households to report that monthly benefits lasted at least 3 weeks (treatment=65%, control=56%; P=0.009).

Conclusion: A demonstration project to reduce FI-C by raising SNAP benefits for Kentucky households with children did not reduce FI-C or other food insecurity measures. Future research should explore the effect of different increases in SNAP benefits and collect repeated measures of FI-C to assess whether intervention effects change over time.

Study Design: randomized control trial

Setting: Community-based

Population of Focus: Rural low income households

Sample Size: 2202

Age Range: n/a

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Guideline Change and Implementation, Food Supports

Intervention Description: The US Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides meals to children during the summer months, but these programs are underused. This advocacy case study describes the implementation and evaluation of situating an SFSP in the pediatric ED and explores the impact on participant intention to connect with community resources after the ED visit.

Intervention Results: In this 7-week pilot, we partnered with a community agency to provide free lunch to all children ages 2 to 18 during their ED visit at an urban, freestanding children's hospital. After patient rooming and clarification of nil per os status, boxed meals were delivered to patients and siblings along with information regarding the SFSP and how to access community program sites. Parents completed a survey about the experience with the meal program in the ED, previous knowledge of the SFSP, and intention to use community SFSP sites in the future.

Conclusion: This case study demonstrates that situating the SFSP in the acute-care clinical setting is acceptable and has strong potential to improve the historically poor connection between families and critical community resources. Additionally, this project highlights the potential of community-clinical partnerships to improve family resources and enhance the reach of established programs.

Study Design: Pilot program

Setting: The emergency department (ED) of urban medical centers

Population of Focus: Children

Sample Size: Unknown

Age Range: 2/18/2024

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): WIC Food Package Change, Food Supports

Intervention Description: Between June 2016 and May 2017, treatment households on SNAP received an additional $40 in monthly SNAP benefits per child under age 5 years.

Intervention Results: The Nevada HHFK project did not reduce FI-C (treatment=31.2%, control=30.6%; P=0.620), very low food security among children (P=0.915), or food insecurity among adults (P=0.925). The project increased households' monthly food expenditures (including SNAP and out-of-pocket food purchases) by $23 (P<0.001).

Conclusion: A demonstration project to reduce FI-C by increasing SNAP benefits to Las Vegas households with young children and very low income did not reduce FI-C or other food-insecurity measures. This finding runs counter to prior research showing that SNAP and similar forms of food assistance have reduced food insecurity. This project was implemented during a period of substantial economic growth in Las Vegas. Future research should explore the role of the economic context, children's ages, and household income in determining how increases in SNAP benefits affect food insecurity.

Study Design: RCT

Setting: Community-based

Population of Focus: Low-income households with young children.

Sample Size: 3088

Age Range: n/a

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Food Supports

Intervention Description: Review of the nutritional information of the foods available from USDA Foods programs for households was performed. Using the HER Guidelines, foods were categorized into a 3-tiered system (ie, choose often/green; choose sometimes/yellow; choose rarely/red) based on levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar per serving, and presence of whole grains.

Intervention Results: The majority of USDA Foods were ranked green (57.3%) or yellow (35.5%). A small number of items were ranked red (3.3%) or were unranked condiments or cooking staples (3.9%).

Conclusion: The USDA Foods available in the household programs were primarily fruits and vegetables; lean proteins; whole grains; and low-fat dairy products that were consistent with national dietary guidelines. There is some room for improvement, and adjustments in the specifications for certain items are recommended to strengthen the nutritional value of the foods provided through these important federal programs.

Setting: All unique foods available from The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (n = 152) for fiscal year 2022 were evaluated.

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): School-Based Family Intervention, Food Supports

Intervention Description: The intervention is the implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for free school meals in the United States. CEP allows high-poverty schools to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students without the need for individual household applications. By providing universal access to nutritious meals at school, CEP aims to reduce food insecurity, improve dietary quality, and alleviate financial burdens on low-income families.

Intervention Results: Researchers found access to universal free school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) had a meaningful impact on grocery spending for households with children, with monthly food purchases declining by about $11, or 5 percent. For households in zip codes with higher exposure, the decline is as high as $39 per month, or 19 percent. The composition of food purchases also changes after CEP, with low income households experiencing a 3 percent improvement in dietary quality. Finally, CEP exposure is associated with an almost 5 percent decline in households classified as food insecure.

Conclusion: Results on the heterogeneous effects of CEP exposure by prior free/reduced price lunch eligibility reveal benefits in terms of both spending, dietary composition, and food insecurity for previously eligible low-income families, suggesting that the stigma of free school meals may be declining after universal access.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental approach

Setting: Households with school-age children

Population of Focus: School-age students

Sample Size: 40,000 households

Age Range: N/A

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): School-Based Family Intervention, Food Supports

Intervention Description: The Oregon Farm to Table intervention teaches Oregon students about Oregon grown & processed food. Typical projects include activities such as tasting tables, classroom instruction, farm field trips, video lesson production, etc.

Intervention Results: We conducted descriptive analyses for quantitative data. For qualitative data, we coded repeated concepts and identified themes using grounded theory approach. Education grants reached more than 20,000 students in 30 districts, including 25 low-income districts. The most reported activities were nutrition and food-based lessons, school gardens, and farm field trips. Thematic results included students eating fruits and vegetables, trying new foods because of gardens, and learning about growing produce.

Conclusion: Oregon's Farm to School Education Grant Program reached the targeted low-income students, encouraged districts to implement educational activities, and allowed low-income children to learn about produce. Education is a core element of farm-to-school success and can help achieve the behavior change in youth needed for increased acceptance of school meals, better health outcomes, and improved food security.

Study Design: Mixed methods design

Setting: School -based

Population of Focus: Children in low-income school districts

Sample Size: 20000

Age Range: n/a

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Food Supports, Training

Intervention Description: This study examined nutrition intervention curriculum, Together We Inspire Smart Eating (WISE). WISE is a research-based, nutrition promotion curriculum specifically designed for pre-school children from families with limited resources. The design was non-randomized treatment/control with standardized pre-/post-test assessments. Children (n = 268) in six Head Start centers received weekly food experiences from educators trained in WISE. Children (n = 258) in nine Head Start centers received weekly food experiences structured at the discretion of the educators untrained in WISE. Parents in both conditions (n = 268 WISE classroom, n = 258 comparison) were interviewed by educators twice over the school year using a data collection tool, The Family Map Inventory.

Intervention Results: Results indicated children in WISE centers consumed healthier food at home than children in non-WISE classrooms.

Conclusion: The study suggested that WISE curriculum is an effective method to improve children's diets in at-risk environments.

Study Design: The design was non-randomized treatment/control with standardized pre-/post-test assessments.

Setting: Six Head Start centers

Sample Size: n = 268 WISE classroom, n = 258 comparison