Adherence
Food vouchers restricted to fruits and vegetables, delivered weekly, increase fruit and vegetable intake specifically in low-income adults with moderate baseline consumption (25th-55th percentile), but not in those with very low or very high baseline intake.
If you are designing a food assistance program, do not assume a flat $20 monthly voucher works for everyone. For people who already eat a moderate amount of produce, weekly $5 vouchers for produce only will likely increase their intake. For those who eat very little produce, money alone isn't enough; you must pair the subsidy with education, transportation, or cooking skills. For those who already eat a lot, the subsidy has diminishing returns.
FV-only weekly vouchers were associated with increased FV intake at the 25th percentile (0.24 cups/day, p ¼ 0.048) and 50th percentile (0.37 cups/day, p ¼ 0.02) of the distribution, but not at lower and higher quantiles.
Why this rating
Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial with a decent sample size (n=359), though quantile regression at tails is noted as imprecise.
Source
Heterogeneity in the Effects of Food Vouchers on Nutrition Among Low-Income Adults: A Quantile Regression Analysis
Justin S. White et al. · American Journal of Health Promotion · 2020
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