Food Selection
Conditions
Keywords
behavioral economics, food pantry, food choice
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.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALOrder
In the order intervention, the investigators place the targeted product at the front of the line for the treatment. For the control, the investigators place the targeted product at the end of the line.
BEHAVIORALPackaging
In the packaging intervention, the investigator present the targeted product in the original package. In the control, the investigator repackage the targeted product in clear, plastic bags.
BEHAVIORALPricing
In the pricing intervention, the investigators price all or targeted products in the treatment. In the control, the investigators do not price the products.
BEHAVIORALRelative Proportions
The investigators adjust the amount of the targeted good available relative to the other products. In the treatment, the targeted good is a larger proportion of the total goods offered in the section, while in the control the shares of the targeted and other goods are equal.
BEHAVIORALDefault Option
In an early site, the investigators offer a targeted product without an alternative. The subjects can accept or reject the offer. The subjects are told that an alternative product is available later. At the site where the alternative product is available, investigators offer subjects the opportunity to exchanged the targeted product for the alternative product.
Sponsors
Cornell University
Auburn University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
19 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Client in food pantry
Exclusion criteria
* Minors
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Outcome results
None listed