Healthy Choice Rewards: A Feasibility Trial of Incentives to Influence Consumer Food Choices in a Remote Australian Aboriginal Community

Clare Brown, Cara Laws, Dympna Leonard, Sandy Campbell, Lea Merone, Melinda Hammond, Kani Thompson, Karla Canuto and Julie Brimblecombe
Additional contact information
Clare Brown: Apunipima Cape York Health Council, 4870 Cairns, Australia
Cara Laws: Apunipima Cape York Health Council, 4870 Cairns, Australia
Dympna Leonard: Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, College of Public Health Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, 4870 Cairns, Australia
Sandy Campbell: Centre for Indigenous Health Equity Research, Central Queensland University, 4870 Cairns, Australia
Lea Merone: Apunipima Cape York Health Council, 4870 Cairns, Australia
Melinda Hammond: Apunipima Cape York Health Council, 4870 Cairns, Australia
Kani Thompson: Apunipima Cape York Health Council, 4870 Cairns, Australia
Karla Canuto: Apunipima Cape York Health Council, 4870 Cairns, Australia
Julie Brimblecombe: Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, 3168 Melbourne, Australia

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Poor diet including inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience a disproportionate level of preventable chronic disease and successful strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote areas to consume more fruit and vegetables can help address health disadvantage. Healthy Choice Rewards was a mixed methods study to investigate the feasibility of a monetary incentive: store vouchers, to promote fruit and vegetable purchasing in a remote Australian Aboriginal community. Multiple challenges were identified in implementation, including limited nutrition workforce. Challenges related to the community store included frequent store closures and amended trading times, staffing issues and poor infrastructure to support fruit and vegetable promotion. No statistically significant increases in fruit or vegetable purchases were observed in the short time frame of this study. Despite this, community members reported high acceptability of the program, especially for women with children. Optimal implementation including, sufficient time and funding resources, with consideration of the most vulnerable could go some way to addressing inequities in food affordability for remote community residents.

Keywords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander; remote; community store; fruit and vegetables; incentive; subsidy; food security; nutrition; diet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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