Effects of an Incentive Program on Participants\u27 Attendance in Farmers\u27 Markets in DC

Introduction: Healthy food incentive programs at farmers’ markets offer an opportunity to improve food access, promote healthy eating, and enhance economic viability of markets. The Produce Plus program offers low-income Washington, DC residents the opportunity to receive one $10 voucher/family/market/week for fruits and vegetable purchases at participating markets. We examined the effect of Produce Plus on participants’ frequency of attendance and use of additional money/benefits at markets. Methods: Program participants were surveyed at participating farmers’ markets across the District between June and September 2015. Survey questions included frequency with which the participants shopped at farmers’ markets and whether they used additional money/benefits beyond the program benefits. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Results: Of the 288 survey respondents, 58.0% reported having attended a farmers’ market \u3e3 times in the past month, 70.6% reported that they came to the market specifically because of Produce Plus, and 84.8% reported attending farmers’ markets more frequently because of Produce Plus. Only 33.6% of participants reported spending additional money at the market, of which 57.5% used their own money and 35% used SNAP benefits. Among participants reporting attending markets more frequently because of Produce Plus, the majority (59%) reported not spending additional funds at the market. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that healthy food incentive programs are a strategy for increasing attendance at farmers’ markets, but most program participants only spend incentive program benefits at the market