Food Assistance Programs and Nutrition Research

Food Assistance Programs and
Nutrition Research and Evaluation
Supporting Strategies for Improved Food Security
Abt Associates has pioneered rigorous
research and evaluation in support
of America’s nutrition assistance
programs. Questions we are currently
helping to answer include: Does food
assistance during the summer months
reduce child hunger? Do financial
incentives increase consumption of
fruits and vegetables? How does peer
counseling affect breastfeeding among
low-income women?
Abt’s extensive portfolio of projects for the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) shows our commitment to improving
the food security and nutritional well-being of America’s most
vulnerable citizens.
The evaluation found that the provision was widely adopted
in states where it was available and that participating districts
were well satisfied with it. These school districts had higher
student participation in school meals programs and lower
certification errors with no adverse impact on meal quality.
Specialties
Evaluating USDA’s Summer Demonstration Program
to Combat Child Hunger
Cutting-Edge Research
•
Evaluating the implementation, costs, integrity, and impacts of initiatives that promote nutrition education and healthy eating
•
Assessing the food security and government benefit use of at-risk populations
•
Assessing the nutritional status and dietary intake of infants, children, and adults
To address the problem of childhood hunger during the
summer, USDA’s FNS funded a demonstration program:
Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC).
To assess the program’s implementation and impacts, Abt and
its partners evaluated SEBTC over three summers. Findings
revealed a 33 percent decrease in the rate of very low food
security among children in the demonstration’s second year.
•
Developing new metrics and methods for assessing program performance and informing policy
Healthy Incentives for SNAP Recipients:
An Impact Study
•
Collecting nationally representative data on program operations and participants to support program management and oversight
Nutrition Research and Evaluation
Evaluating an Alternative to Free or Reduced Price
(FRP) Lunch Applications for Households
The Community Eligibility Provision (the CE Provision) is an
alternative to household applications for FRP meals. Schools
using the CE Provision serve free breakfasts and lunches to
all students. Abt’s evaluation, funded by USDA’s Food and
Nutrition Service (FNS), examined both the acceptability of
the CE Provision and the results of adopting it.
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The USDA’s Healthy Incentive Pilot (HIP) evaluation for USDA’s
FNS examined whether monetary incentives would influence
the purchase and consumption of fruits and vegetables among
SNAP participants. Abt and its partners conducted a random
assignment impact evaluation that collected 24-hour dietary
recalls and food expenditures. Transactions (Electronic Benefits
Transfer data) were used to describe receipt of the HIP incentive
and to compare shopping patterns of HIP participants with
those of other SNAP households. HIP participants consumed
almost a quarter cup more targeted fruits and vegetables than
did non-HIP participants.
Assessing the Impact of USDA’s Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Program
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), launched
by USDA’s FNS, provides fresh fruits and vegetables to lowincome elementary school children in an effort to improve
their diet and reduce their risk of obesity. To determine FFVP’s
impact on consumption and attitudes towards these two
food groups, Abt conducted an evaluation using a regression
discontinuity design involving 4,696 students. Abt’s study
revealed that FFVP helped increase the amount of fruit and
vegetables that students ate and that students in schools
participating in the program had more positive attitudes about
these foods.
Contact
For more information on Abt Associates and our work in Food
Security and Nutrition Research and Evaluation, contact:
Cindy Taylor, Ph.D.
Vice President & Practice Leader
Workforce, Income and Food Security
Office: 617.520.3505
[email protected]
Assessing the New WIC Food Packages to Promote
Breastfeeding
In 2007, USDA’s FNS published an interim rule that changed
the composition and quantities of prescribed foods in the
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Children,
and Infants (WIC) food packages. The revisions promoted
more breastfeeding and less formula for infants. To learn the
impact of these regulatory changes, Abt conducted a study
focusing on 1,600 infants and their mothers from the birth
month to five months postpartum. The study found an increase
in breastfeeding duration and no adverse impacts on program
participation or breastfeeding initiation.
Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in
research and program implementation in the fields
of health, social and environmental policy, and
international development. Known for its rigorous
approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates
is regularly ranked as one of the top 20 global research
firms and one of the top 40 international development
innovators. The company has multiple offices in the U.S.
and program offices in more than 40 countries.
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©2014 Abt Associates | October 2014

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