Grocery Gift Cards for Low-Income Families

(GROCERY Trial)

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Disqualifiers: Previous study participation

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores whether monthly grocery gift cards can reduce food insecurity and healthcare use for families in a Medicaid Accountable Care Organization. Participants will give feedback through surveys over 18 months to determine if the gift cards impact their lives. Families in the trial will either receive the gift cards or continue with their usual care. It suits parents of children admitted to specific hospital units who have HealthVine insurance. As an unphased trial, this study offers families a unique chance to contribute to research that could enhance support systems for those facing food insecurity.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this intervention is safe?

Research shows that providing grocery gift cards to families is safe. Studies examining the experiences of recipients have found no safety issues. For example, caregivers in low-income families who received grocery gift cards consumed more healthy foods, indicating that the gift cards are well-received and beneficial.

Unlike drug trials, this trial does not present the safety risks associated with medications. Using grocery gift cards does not involve taking medicine or undergoing medical procedures, so there are no side effects to consider. Participants can be confident in the safety of this approach. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores a unique approach to supporting low-income families by providing them with monthly $100 grocery gift cards for a year. Unlike typical interventions that focus solely on medical or social work referrals, this method directly addresses food insecurity, a fundamental social determinant of health. By providing families with the means to purchase nutritious food, this trial aims to improve overall health outcomes and reduce healthcare disparities in a tangible and immediate way.

What evidence suggests that this intervention could reduce food insecurity and healthcare utilization?

This trial will compare the effects of providing monthly $100 grocery gift cards to low-income families with standard care. Research has shown that grocery gift cards can help low-income families eat healthier and manage their food resources more effectively. Families have reported improved eating habits and increased skills in handling food resources. Studies suggest that such programs can reduce food insecurity, defined as having regular access to enough safe and nutritious food. Additionally, these programs might decrease the need for emergency healthcare. By providing steady food support, families may experience better overall health and well-being. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for low-income families with children who are part of a Medicaid Accountable Care Organization. It's designed to see if giving them monthly grocery gift cards can help reduce food insecurity and the need for healthcare services.

Inclusion Criteria

I am a parent of a child admitted to the specified hospital units and we have HealthVine insurance.

Exclusion Criteria

Previous study participation

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Families randomized to the intervention group receive monthly $100 grocery gift cards for 12 months

12 months

Monthly visits (virtual or in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for food insecurity, healthcare utilization, and other outcomes through surveys

18 months

Quarterly surveys (virtual)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Grocery gift card

Trial Overview The study tests whether providing monthly grocery gift cards to these families makes a difference in their well-being. Families will be randomly chosen to either receive this benefit or not, and they'll answer surveys about their situation over an 18-month period.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Monthly $100 grocery gift cards for 12 months

Group II: Standard of Care Active Control 1 Intervention

Can receive in-hospital social work referral if determined appropriate by clinical care team (also true for intervention group)

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Lead Sponsor

Trials

844

Recruited

6,566,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A study involving 50 participants with food insecurity showed that using a prefilled, nutritionally balanced online grocery shopping cart led to significantly healthier purchases compared to just reviewing nutrition information.

Participants using the default shopping cart bought more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, while also selecting foods lower in sodium, cholesterol, and unhealthy fats, indicating that this approach can effectively promote better nutrition in financially constrained individuals.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nudging while online grocery shopping: A randomized feasibility trial to enhance nutrition in individuals with food insecurity. Coffino, JA., Udo, T., Hormes, JM.[2021]

Citations

1. jneb.org jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(25)00376-8/fulltext

Feasibility of an Online Grocery Intervention Pilot to ... A pretest-posttest pilot study was conducted among 59 primary household food shopper caregivers living ≤ 130% of the poverty line.

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10641610/

Experiences and perceived outcomes of a grocery gift card ... Second, recipients reported that the use of GGC improved their households' dietary patterns and food skills. Third, both participant groups identified ...

3. shmpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com shmpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jhm.70213

Giving Resources to lOw‐income Children to Enhance ... We hypothesize that children in families who receive monthly grocery store gift cards after discharge will have reduced FI and lower urgent ...

4. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-discharged-pediatric-patients-and-their-families-7-2024-7fc31

Grocery Gift Cards for Low-Income Families · Info for Participants What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Grocery gift card for low-income families? Research shows that programs providing food vouchers or ...

5. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41117294/

Giving Resources to lOw-income Children to Enhance ... In this RCT, we will evaluate the effectiveness of a post-discharge financial support intervention among low-income families.

6. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37528809/

Experiences and perceived outcomes of a grocery gift card ... Experiences and perceived outcomes of a grocery gift card program for households at risk of food insecurity ... low-income families with children.

7. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2792755

Effect of Brief Produce Exposure and Unconstrained ... Produce boxes and $10 grocery gift cards provided to caregivers weekly for 4 weeks resulted in a mean increase in net healthy food items eaten per child.