People who learned about an upstate New York produce incentive program through personal conversations reported eating more fruits and vegetables than those reached through mass communication, a Cornell University study found.
The research examined Double Up Food Bucks New York, which enhances SNAP benefits for fresh produce purchases in 53 upstate counties, according to the Cornell Chronicle.
What the researchers found
Cornell's Action Research Collaborative surveyed 417 program participants in August 2024. About 70% were women, and their average age was 46. Researchers used a 10-item National Cancer Institute dietary screener to assess what participants ate.
About 46.5% first heard about the program through face-to-face communication. The remaining 53.5% learned about it through mass communication, including social media, mail and websites.
Participants reached in person reported greater total fruit and vegetable intake, as well as greater intake of whole fruits and vegetables. The findings were published Nov. 4 in Family & Community Health.
The study measured an association. Its cross-sectional survey did not randomly assign people to different outreach methods and cannot establish that personal conversations caused the dietary differences.
Lead author Eunyoung Myung, a postdoctoral researcher with the collaborative and Cornell's communication department, worked with researchers including collaborative co-directors Neil Lewis Jr. and Tashara Leak.
Reaching people who can use the benefit
Buffalo-based Field & Fork Network administers Double Up Food Bucks New York. An $8 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant supports the program, with Leak and the network's Lisa French serving as co-principal directors.
French said the work goes beyond helping people recognize the program's name: Participants need to understand the benefit and keep using it week after week. Leak said trusted, in-person communication can help connect people with enrollment and explain how the incentive works.
Lewis, an associate professor of communication, said personal conversations remain valuable even as organizations rely heavily on digital outreach. The researchers said their findings could help programs decide how to reach participants when outreach resources are limited; the study did not directly measure the relative cost effectiveness of those methods.
The findings address how people hear about a program, rather than where they ultimately shop. Separate earlier collaborative research found families with young children and people facing transportation challenges were more likely to purchase produce online.
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