Implementing Locally Tailored Strategies to Promote Redemption of Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Vouchers Among WIC Participants in Central Pennsylvania

Abstract

The Pennsylvania Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) provides vouchers to participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to purchase locally grown fruits, vegetables (F&V), and herbs every year from June to November. Voucher redemption is suboptimal among WIC participants in Lebanon County, a community with high numbers of low-income and Hispanic families. Supported by a Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) award, our community–academic coalition partnered with the local WIC provider to implement locally tailored strategies to promote redemption of FMNP vouchers. In 2019, we surveyed FMNP participants ( n = 100) to examine opportunities for improved voucher redemption. Increasing sites for voucher use (47%) and a larger variety of F&V (27%) were the most commonly selected improvements participants identified. Participants also supported improvements to increase awareness of available seasonal produce (14%), text/phone reminders to redeem vouchers (13%), and having recipes to cook meals with FMNP-approved F&V (12%). These findings led us to implement a weekly, Farm-to-WIC “grab bag” program in 2020/2021. We partnered with a local farmer to offer a variety of FMNP-approved produce in $3 and $6 grab bags at the local WIC provider. Each grab bag included healthy recipes using the included produce. In 2021, we launched a text/phone reminder intervention to encourage voucher redemption among FMNP participants (n = 57). Our work demonstrates the value of community–academic partnerships to identify and implement feasible strategies that are responsive to local needs as well as supporting existing programs providing greater access to affordable produce.

Expanding opportunities for chronic disease prevention for Hispanics: the Better Together REACH program in Pennsylvania

“…To promote FMNP awareness and voucher redemption, LFHS holds the Latino Health Fair, a one-day annual event that includes live demonstrations on healthy cooking and bilingual nutrition education. In 2019, we conducted a brief evaluation with WIC beneficiaries to survey barriers participants faced in using FMNP vouchers like transportation to voucher-eligible markets, variety of produce, and limited locations of voucher-eligible markets ( 16 ). The survey also gauged the participants' interest in additional offerings to improve voucher redemption such as healthy cooking or nutrition education.…”

“…This initiative is also assisted by one of our REACH-funded bilingual community health workers (CHWs). A pilot study with 97 adults with type 2 diabetes [hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥ 7.0% and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m 2 ] showed a reduction in HbA1c (-1.3%; p < 0.001) post-program ( 16 ). Reduced HbA1c was associated with higher voucher redemption rates ( p = 0.032) and a change in diabetes medications ( p = 0.003).…”

An Evaluation of the Implementation of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program at Four Chicago WIC Sites

“…Few studies have extended out to assess the impact on a family's nutrition [1,[10][11][12][13][14]. Furthermore, available studies have not examined facilitators and barriers to coupon redemption and increased fruit and vegetable consumption [10][11][12]15], and have had small sample sizes [9,11,15], and relied solely on quantitative methods [1,11,12]. To fill this gap in the research, our study examined the impact of a local partnership between four Chicago-area WIC sites serving some of Chicago's most economically challenged communities of color, and the Farm on Ogden, an urban greenhouse farmers market, on the access to, purchasing of, and intake of healthy food for low-income pregnant and postpartum persons and their children.…”