Factors Associated With SNAP Online Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Among Produce Incentive Program Participants

Abstract

Purpose

To examine associations between household child composition, grocery travel burden, and online fruit and vegetable (F&V) purchasing using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Design

Cross-sectional, Online Survey.

Setting

New York State, USA.

Sample

Adults (n = 455) recruited via postcards and email participating in Double Up Food Bucks New York (DUFBNY), a F&V incentive program.

Measures

Frequency of online F&V purchasing using SNAP benefits, household children composition (number and age of children), grocery travel behaviors (primary transportation mode and travel time), and demographic characteristics (age, gender, race/ethnicity, education) were assessed.

Analysis

Ordinal logistic regression.

Results

Households with children aged 0-4 years had significantly higher odds of frequent online F&V purchases (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.16-3.89). Participants who drove their own car and had short travel times (≤20 min) had lower odds of purchasing F&Vs online compared with those using other transportation modes and traveling >20 min (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.90).

Conclusion

Expanding online options within F&V incentive programs may be particularly relevant for households with young children and those facing longer grocery travel times or limited transportation. These findings may help inform the design, implementation, outreach, and future evaluation of online options within F&V incentive programs.