The Evaluation of the Summer EBT for Children Demonstration

NCT ID: NCT02877147

Last Updated: 2016-08-24

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 85000 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2011-01-31
• Study Completion Date: 2014-09-30

Brief Summary

The Summer Electronic Benefit for Children (SEBTC) demonstration provided food assistance to households with school-aged children during the summer through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) procedures used by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs. The evaluation design included two components: an impact study and an implementation study. The evaluation assessed the impact of SEBTC on children's food security and nutritional status, household food expenditures and purchasing behaviors, parental perceptions, and participation in nutrition assistance programs. The implementation study analyzed SEBTC use patterns using administrative data, and described demonstration implementation and costs.

Detailed Description

The SEBTC evaluation took place in the summers of 2011 through 2014. Ten grantees implemented the demonstration in a total of 16 sites; the number of participating sites and/or the evaluation components differed by year. In 2011, 5 grantees with five sites participated and the evaluation included implementation and cost analysis, EBT analysis, and an impact study. In 2012, 10 grantees implemented SEBTC in 14 sites and the evaluation included the same study components. In 2013, four grantees with six sites participated and the study components included EBT analysis and an impact study (no implementation or cost data collection). Finally, in 2014, three grantees participated in three sites and only implementation data were collected. Information on human subjects was collected for the evaluation's impact evaluation.

Conditions

Food Insecurity Among Children; Dietary Modification

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

$60 SEBTC Benefit Group

Households received $60 per summer month when school was not in session for each eligible child (Summers 2011-2013).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

SEBTC

Intervention Type: OTHER

SEBTC benefits were issued on EBT cards using either the existing EBT delivery systems for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC). Sites selected only one of the two EBT systems to be used to implement SEBTC prior to random assignment; households were not randomized to a specific delivery system.

$30 SEBTC Benefit Group

Households received $30 per summer month when school was not in session for each eligible child (Summer 2013 only).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

SEBTC

Intervention Type: OTHER

SEBTC benefits were issued on EBT cards using either the existing EBT delivery systems for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC). Sites selected only one of the two EBT systems to be used to implement SEBTC prior to random assignment; households were not randomized to a specific delivery system.

No Intervention Group

Households with eligible children were not issued SEBTC benefits (Summers 2011 and 2012)

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

SEBTC

SEBTC benefits were issued on EBT cards using either the existing EBT delivery systems for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC). Sites selected only one of the two EBT systems to be used to implement SEBTC prior to random assignment; households were not randomized to a specific delivery system.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

food assistance; electronic benefit transfer payments

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Households with children who were certified to receive the National School Lunch program or the School Breakfast Program in the prior school year in participating sites, Summers 2011-2013

• Minimum Eligible Age: 4 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Maxiumus

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

USDA Food and Nutrition Service

FED

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Abt Associates

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Stephen Bell, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Abt Associates

Ronette Briefel

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

References

Briefel R, Collins A, Bellotti J, Klerman J, Logan CW, Cabili C, Rowe G, Greece J, Owens C, Weiss A. 2011. Congressional Status Report: Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Demonstrations. Alexandria, V: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Briefel R, Collins A, Rowe G, Wolf A, Klerman JA, Logan CW, Wulsin CS, Enver A, Owens C, Jacobson J, Bell S. 2012. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: 2012 Congressional Status Report. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Collins A, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Rowe G, Wolf A, Logan CW, Gordon A, Wolfson C, Enver A, l Owens C, Cabili C, Bell S. 2013. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: Evaluation Findings for the Full Implementation Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service

Reference Type: RESULT

Collins AM, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Wolf A, Rowe G, Enver A, Logan CW, Fatima S, Komarovksy M, Lyskawa J, Bell S. 2014. Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (SEBTC) Demonstration: Findings for the Third Implementation Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

Reference Type: RESULT

Collins A, Briefel R, Klerman JA, Bell S, Belotti J, Logan C, Gordon A, Wolfe A, McLaughlin S, Enver A, Fernandes M, Wolfson C, Komorovsky M, Cabili C, Owens, C. 2012. Summer EBT for Children Demonstration: Evaluation Findings for the Proof of Concept Year. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

Reference Type: RESULT

Collins AM, Briefel, R, Klerman JA, Rowe G, Wolf A, Logan C, Enver A, Fatima S, Gordon A, Lyskawa A. (2016). Summer Electronic Benefits for Children Demonstration: Summary Report. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

Reference Type: RESULT

Collins AM, Klerman JA, Briefel R, Rowe G, Gordon AR, Logan CW, Wolf A, Bell SH. A Summer Nutrition Benefit Pilot Program and Low-income Children's Food Security. Pediatrics. 2018 Apr;141(4):e20171657. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-1657.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 29592869 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

17322

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id