Topic: Health Equity

Brief: Healthy Incentives Program within the SNAP in Harris County, Texas

Posted on February 11, 2020

The information in this brief is intended only to provide educational information.

This brief summarizes a CHOICES Learning Collaborative Partnership simulation model of a Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) in Harris County, TX that aims to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients by providing a financial incentive of $0.30 for every $1 spent on fruits and vegetables.

The Issue

Over the past three decades, more and more people have developed obesity.1 The health care costs of treating obesity-related conditions in adulthood were $147 billion in 2008.2 As a strategy to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic disease, public health authorities emphasize the goal of increasing fruit and vegetable intake.3

In Harris County, nearly 69% of adults have too much excess weight.4 Nearly 265,000 adult Harris County residents are eligible for SNAP benefits.5 SNAP is a key strategy for reducing food insecurity among low-income populations. Regardless of SNAP participation, household purchases of fruits and vegetables are low.6 And, compared to eligible nonparticipants, SNAP participants may have a lower diet quality. Interventions may be needed that support the consumption of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.7 Financial incentives are a proven strategy in increasing fruit and vegetable purchases.8,9

About the Healthy Incentives Program

Under this program, SNAP participants will receive an incentive of $0.30 for every $1 of SNAP benefits that they spend on targeted fruits and vegetables in SNAP-authorized grocery stores and farmers markets. Targeted fruits and vegetables include fresh, canned, frozen, and dried fruits and vegetables without added sugars, fats, oils, or salt, but exclude white potatoes and 100% fruit juice. SNAP participants will be automatically enrolled in the program; then, the incentive will be automatically credited back to the participants’ SNAP account after each household purchase of these products. The incentive will be capped at $60 per household per month to prevent misuse.

Comparing Costs and Outcomes

CHOICES cost-effectiveness analysis compared the costs and outcomes of providing SNAP participants with an incentive of $0.30 for every $1 of SNAP benefits that they spend on targeted fruits and vegetables in SNAP-authorized grocery stores and farmers markets over a 10-year time horizon with the costs and outcomes expected if no incentive is provided.

Implementing a Healthy Incentives Program in Harris County could increase fruit and vegetable purchases and improve health. By the end of 2027:
An infographic about the obesity and financial benefits of the fruit and vegetable incentive.

Conclusions and Implications

Providing SNAP participants with an incentive of $0.30 for every $1 of SNAP benefits that they spend on targeted fruits and vegetables in SNAP-authorized grocery stores and farmers markets could have a positive impact on health of the SNAP participants. This strategy could increase purchases of fruits and vegetables by more than 3 servings per week per person (a 36% increase)10 and promote better diet quality among participants. While not quantified here, this strategy may also increase fruit and vegetable consumption among children in households participating in SNAP.

A program incentivizing the purchase of fruits and vegetables among SNAP participants would require an investment of $479 per adult. For every $1.00 invested in implementing a Healthy Incentives Program, $0.03 in obesity-related health care costs would be saved. This strategy would prevent 393 cases of obesity in Harris County in 2027. Evidence is growing about how food pricing and incentive programs may help promote healthy diets and reduce the prevalence of obesity. These findings reinforce the importance of investing in preventive efforts that could have widespread community impact.

References

  1. Flegal, K.M., Kruszon-Moran, D., Carroll, M.D., Fryar, C.D., Ogden, C.L. (2016). Trends in Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014. JAMA, 315(21), 2284-91.
  2. Finkelstein EA, Trogdon JG, Cohen JW, Dietz W. (2009). Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer-And Service-Specific Estimates. Health Affairs. 28(5).
  3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Healthy people 2020 (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2010 (7th ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  4. Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. 2014
  5. Texas Health and Human Services Commission. (2019)
  6. Grummon, A., Taillie L. (2017). Nutrition profile of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program household food and beverages purchases. Am J Clin Nutr, 105(6). 1433-1442.
  7. Andreyeva T., Tripp A., Schwartz, M. (2015). Dietary Quality of Americans by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Status: A Systematic Review. Am J Prev Med. 49(4):594-604.
  8. Sturm R, An R, Segal D, Patel D. (2013). A cash-back rebate program for healthy food purchases in South Africa: results from scanner data. Am J Prev Med. 44(6):567-572.
  9. Gittelsohn J, Trude ACB, Kim H. Pricing Strategies to Encourage Availability, Purchase, and Consumption of Healthy Foods and Beverages: A Systematic Review. Prev Chronic Dis 2017;14:170213. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.5888/pcd14.170213.
  10. Zhang, F. F., Liu, J., Rehm, C. D., Wilde, P., Mande, J. R., & Mozaffarian, D. (2018). Trends and disparities in diet quality among US adults by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation status. JAMA network open, 1(2), e180237-e180237.
Suggested Citation:

Flax C, Barrett J, Cradock A. Houston Healthy Incentives Program within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Harris County, TX [Issue Brief]. Houston Health Department, Houston, TX and the CHOICES Learning Collaborative Partnership at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA; December 2019.

This issue brief was developed at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with the Houston Health Department through participation in the Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) Learning Collaborative Partnership. This brief is intended for educational use only.

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Brief: Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) Intervention in Oklahoma

Posted on November 6, 2017

The information in this brief is intended for educational use only.

This brief summarizes the CHOICES Learning Collaborative Partnership simulation model of the impact of integrating the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) program into Oklahoma’s Reaching for the Stars Quality Rating and Improvement System. Child care programs achieving Level 2 or higher would complete NAP SACC.

The Issue

Over the past three decades, more and more people have developed obesity.1 Today, nearly nine percent of 2-5 year olds have obesity.2 Now labeled as an epidemic, health care costs for treating obesity-related health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes were $147 billion in 2008.3 While multiple strategies are needed to reverse the epidemic, emerging prevention strategies directed at children show great promise.4 A large body of evidence shows that healthy eating, physical activity, and limited time watching TV helps kids grow up at a healthy weight.

In Oklahoma, 41% of 2-5 year olds attend a licensed child care center or family child care home, and most of them attend a program involved in Reaching for the Stars.5 Child care programs can offer healthy, nurturing environments for children; Reaching for the Stars can encourage and empower programs to voluntarily improve nutrition, physical activity, and screen time standards.

About NAP SACC and Reaching for the Stars

NAP SACC is an evidence-based, trusted intervention for helping child care programs improve their practices regarding nutrition, active play, and screen time and has demonstrated impacts on reducing childhood obesity.6,7 In NAP SACC, child care directors complete self-assessments of their nutrition, active play, and screen time practices and receive training and technical assistance to implement changes that create healthier environments. Integrating NAP SACC into Reaching for the Stars would incentivize and support participation in the program and broaden its availability.

Comparing Costs and Outcomes

CHOICES cost-effectiveness analysis compared the costs and outcomes of integrating NAP SACC into Reaching for the Stars over 10 years with costs and outcomes associated with not implementing the program. This model assumes that 67% of OK children in child care centers and 36% in family child care homes attend a program at Level 2 or higher in Reaching for the Stars and thus will benefit. The model also accounts for swapping out some existing childhood obesity trainings for NAP SACC, making NAP SACC implementation a less costly approach.

Implementing NAP SACC in child care programs throughout Oklahoma is an investment in the future. By the end of 2025:
Chart summarizing the conclusions and implications of the brief

Conclusions and Implications

Every child deserves a healthy start in life. This includes ensuring that all kids in child care have opportunities to eat healthy foods and be physically active, no matter where they live or where they go for child care. A state-level initiative to bring NAP SACC to Oklahoma’s child care programs through Reaching for the Stars could prevent almost 1,600 cases of childhood obesity in 2025 and ensure healthy child care environments for 140,000 of Oklahoma’s young children.

For every $1.00 spent on implementing NAP SACC in Reaching for the Stars, we would save $0.15 in health care costs. These results reinforce the importance of investing in prevention efforts, relative to other treatment interventions, to reduce the prevalence of obesity. Shortchanging prevention efforts can lead to more costly and complicated treatment options in the future, whereas introducing small changes to young children can help them develop healthy habits for life.

Evidence is growing about how to help children achieve a healthy weight. Programs such as NAP SACC are laying the foundation for a healthier future by helping child care providers create environments that nurture healthy habits. Leaders at the federal, state, and local level should use the best available evidence to determine which evidence-based programs and policies hold the most promise to help children eat healthier diets and be more active.

References

  1. Flegal KM, Kruszon-Moran D, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Trends in Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014. JAMA. 2016 Jun 7;315(21):2284-91.
  2. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Lawman HG, Fryar CD, Kruszon-Moran D, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Trends in obesity prevalence among children and adolescents in the United States, 1988-1994 through 2013-2014. JAMA. 2016 Jun 7;315(21):2292-9.
  3. Finkelstein EA, Trogdon JG, Cohen JW, Dietz W. Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer-And Service-Specific Estimates. Health Affairs. 2009;28(5).
  4. Gortmaker SL, Wang YC, Long MW, Giles CM, Ward ZJ, Barrett JL, Kenney EL, Sonneville KR, Afzal AS, Resch SC, Cradock AL. Three interventions that reduce childhood obesity are projected to save more than they cost to implement. Health Aff (Millwood). 2015 Nov;34(11):1932-9.
  5. Oklahoma Department of Health Services (DHS). Early Care & Education Licensing Database (2016)
  6. Ward DS, Benjamin SE, Ammerman AS, Ball SC, Neelon BH, Bangdiwala SI. Nutrition and physical activity in child care: results from an environmental intervention. Am J Prev Med. 2008 Oct;35(4):352-6.
  7. Alkon A, Crowley AA, Neelon SE, Hill S, Pan Y, Nguyen V, Rose R, Savage E, Forestieri N, Shipman L, Kotch JB. Nutrition and physical activity randomized control trial in child care centers improves knowledge, policies, and children’s body mass index. BMC Public Health. 2014 Mar 1;14:215.
Suggested Citation:

Macedo C, Case S, Simpson K, Khan F, U’ren S, Giles CM, Flax CN, Cradock AL, Gortmaker SL, Ward ZJ, Kenney EL. Oklahoma: Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment For Child Care (NAP SACC) Intervention {Issue Brief}. Oklahoma State Department of Health and Oklahoma State Department of Human Services, Oklahoma City, OK, and the CHOICES Learning Collaborative Partnership at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA; October 2017.

The design for this brief and its graphics were developed by Molly Garrone, MA and partners at Burness.

This issue brief was developed at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with the Oklahoma Department of Health and Human Services through participation in the Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) Learning Collaborative Partnership. This brief is intended for educational use only. Funded by The JPB Foundation. Results are those of the authors and not the funders.

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