Online Pilot Grocery Intervention among Rural and Urban Residents Aimed to Improve Purchasing Habits

Alison Gustafson, Rachel Gillespie, Emily DeWitt, Brittany Cox, Brynnan Dunaway, Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, Elizabeth Anderson Steeves and Angela C. B. Trude
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Alison Gustafson: Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Rachel Gillespie: Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Emily DeWitt: Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Brittany Cox: Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Brynnan Dunaway: Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Lindsey Haynes-Maslow: Agricultural & Human Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Elizabeth Anderson Steeves: Department of Nutrition, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1920, USA
Angela C. B. Trude: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, New York City, NY 10003, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Online grocery shopping has the potential to improve access to food, particularly among low-income households located in urban food deserts and rural communities. The primary aim of this pilot intervention was to test whether a three-armed online grocery trial improved fruit and vegetable (F&V) purchases. Rural and urban adults across seven counties in Kentucky, Maryland, and North Carolina were recruited to participate in an 8-week intervention in fall 2021. A total of 184 adults were enrolled into the following groups: (1) brick-and-mortar “BM” (control participants only received reminders to submit weekly grocery shopping receipts); (2) online-only with no support “O” (participants received weekly reminders to grocery shop online and to submit itemized receipts); and (3) online shopping with intervention nudges “O+I” (participants received nudges three times per week to grocery shop online, meal ideas, recipes, Facebook group support, and weekly reminders to shop online and to submit itemized receipts). On average, reported food spending on F/V by the O+I participants was USD 6.84 more compared to the BM arm. Online shopping with behavioral nudges and nutrition information shows great promise for helping customers in diverse locations to navigate the increasing presence of online grocery shopping platforms and to improve F&V purchases.

Keywords: online; grocery shopping; behavioral nudge; intervention; rural; urban; fruit and vegetable; food access (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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