title: Providing additional money to food-insecure households and its effect on food expenditure: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Financial constraint is the underpinning determinant of household food insecurity; however, there has been little research examining the impact that increasing the ‘money available’ to food-insecure households could have on food purchasing. The main objective of the present study was to examine the effect of additional money (in the form of supermarket vouchers) on food expenditure in food-insecure households with children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A parallel randomized controlled trial with a 4-week baseline phase followed by a 4-week intervention phase. Households were randomized to either receive vouchers (coupons) for 4 weeks or a control group that did not receive any vouchers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dunedin, New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Low-income households with children ≥ 18 years) reporting food insecurity (n 214).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean monetary value of the vouchers received by households was $NZ 17?00 per week. The voucher group spent ≥ NZ 15.20 (95% CI 1.46, 28.94) more per week on food during the intervention phase compared with the control group (P50.030). There were no differences in expenditure between the voucher and the control group for the food groups ‘fruit and vegetables’ (mean difference: ≥ NZ 0?46; 95% CI 21.97, 2.89; P50.709), ‘meat and poultry’ (mean difference: ≥ NZ 0.29; 95% CI 23.07, 3.64; P50.866) and ‘dairy’ (mean difference: ≥ NZ 0.82; 95% CI 20.75, 2.42; P50.302).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Providing money via supermarket vouchers to food-insecure resulted in an increase in overall expenditure on food.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. claire.smith@otago.ac.nz
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Winsome Ruth
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Parnell
authors.forename: Rachel Clare
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Andrew Robert
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D063105:Food Assistance / Q000191:economics*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D011203:Poverty / Q000191:economics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors