Abstract
Objective
Evaluate implementation of a farmers market–based fruit and vegetable incentive program.
Design
Four focus groups and 6 interviews with program participants from April through November
2017.
Setting
Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program in Western New York.
Participants
Western New York DUFB program participants.
Phenomenon of Interest
Customer DUFB usage, how DUFB affects purchasing, and program barriers or facilitators.
Analysis
Two independent researchers coded focus group and interview transcripts. Researchers
summarized codes as themes and selected illustrative quotes.
Results
Participants (n = 36) were mostly female (75%); 69.4% reported a household income
less than $20,000. They reported taking home and consuming more fruits and vegetables
because of DUFB, almost always earning the maximum amount of DUFB and saving DUFB
for later use. Barriers to using DUFB included limited hours and locations, running
out of tokens, poor access to farmers market, and limited stocking. Participants recommended
improved program communication, more venues, and convenient schedules to facilitate
program use.
Conclusions and Implications
Findings indicated that incentive programs increased fruit and vegetable consumption
and purchasing among those who use them, however barriers to using incentives still
existed. To improve the participant experience, program administrators should implement
technology-based systems, provide robust communication, and offer incentives at varied
locations and times.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 26, 2020
Accepted:
July 12,
2020
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
