Honors Program
Date of this Version
Spring 3-15-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Citation
Juma, B. 2021. Nebraska Double Up Food Bucks Program: A Secondary Assessment of Nutrition Incentive Program User Frequency and Retailer Transactions. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Abstract
Nebraska Double Up Food Bucks (NDUFB) is a fruit and vegetable (FV) incentive program aimed to increase the accessibility and affordability of produce for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) users. This secondary assessment examined NDUFB customer survey data, assessed program user frequency, and documented retailer transaction errors to improve future program participation and data collection. Customer surveys (n=100) and NDUFB check transaction data (n=4660) from 2017-2019 were organized and examined in Excel, and additional correlation analysis for survey data was conducted using IBM SPSS. Most survey participants were female, white, and on average middle-aged. Daily FV frequency intake was positively correlated with length of NDUFB use and perceived health status. Program use frequency ranged from 1-71 times across 1,663 unique users. Six groupings were identified, with one-time users the largest (64%) and users with 11 or more transactions the smallest (3%). Retailer transaction errors fell into 6 categories; incorrectly recorded or missing 5-digit Electronic Benefits Transfer number was the most prevalent (9.2%), followed by incorrectly distributed checks (8.4%) and incorrectly recorded or missing check numbers (4.5%). Survey respondent demographics differed from SNAP demographics where NDUFB sites were located, indicating a need to investigate different marketing and/or survey collection strategies. Positive correlations between FV intake with length of NDUFB use indicated potential benefits of sustained program use. Future qualitative investigation of users at varying frequencies will be important to identify facilitators and barriers to using NDUFB. Knowledge of prevalent errors can inform future site-trainings as NDUFB expands to more locations.
Comments
Copyright Brianna Juma 2021.