Preferences for food vouchers among adults with low incomes.

Abstract

There is growing interest in understanding the optimal design of food voucher programs to improve diet quality and support chronic disease self-management. We examined preferences for voucher program design among adults with low incomes who participated in a randomized trial. Participants preferred vouchers eligible for all foods over those restricted to fruits and vegetables (p=0.001), and a monthly over weekly redemption schedule (p=0.003). Preferences differed significantly by voucher assignment (p_interaction for both<0.0001), with those assigned to the fruit and vegetable voucher more likely to prefer that voucher. Flexibility was identified as a key driver of preference.