The Evaluation of the Summer EBT for Children Demonstration (SEBTC)

Abt Associates

Status: Completed

Conditions: Food Insecurity Among Children; Dietary Modification

Treatments: Other: SEBTC

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Industry; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT02877147

17322

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full 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.

Enrollment: 85,000 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 4 to 18 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion 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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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85,000 participants in 3 patient groups

$60 SEBTC Benefit Group

Experimental group

Description:

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

Treatment:

Other: SEBTC

$30 SEBTC Benefit Group

Experimental group

Description:

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

Treatment:

Other: SEBTC

No Intervention Group

No Intervention group

Description:

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