Behavioral Economic Interventions at Food Pantries

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Food Selection
• Interventions: Behavioral: Pricing; Behavioral: Order; Behavioral: Packaging; Behavioral: Relative Proportions; Behavioral: Default Option

• Registration Number: NCT02403882
• Lead Sponsor: Auburn University

Brief Summary

The investigators run a series of behavioral economic interventions at client-choice food pantries to encourage clients to choose targeted foods.

Detailed Description

The study includes simple interventions at food pantries in New York State. In the initial phase, the investigators are testing the effect of order, packaging, pricing products, and relative proportion of products at a food pantry.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2014-10
• Study First Submitted: 2015-03-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2015-03-26
• Study First Posted: 2015-03-31
• Status Verified: 2016-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-04-23
• Last Update Posted: 2016-04-26
• Primary Completion: 2017-06
• Study Completion: 2017-06

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 443

Inclusion Criteria

• Client in food pantry

Exclusion Criteria

• Minors

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Pricing	Pricing	In food pantries, few products are priced. The investigators use pricing of products to determine its effect on selection.
Order	Order	The investigators arrange the placement of the targeted good to see if the order affects selection.
Packaging	Packaging	The investigators adjust the packaging of the targeted good to determine the effects on selection.
Relative Proportions	Relative Proportions	The investigators adjust the proportion of the products to determine the effect on the selection of the targeted product.
Default Option	Default Option	The investigators provide a targeted product to subjects at one point. Later, investigators offer subjects the possibility to exchange the targeted product for a close substitute.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of Targeted Products Selected Relative to Others	up to 8 months	As subjects choose products from sections of the food pantry, the investigators observe the selection of the targeted product among the other products available. If the targeted product is selected the investigators denote it with a one and zero otherwise. The investigators average the outcome over five and 10 subjects. The investigators also use probit and logistic models to estimate the probability of uptake.