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Dena R. Herman, PhD, MPH, RD, Gail G. Harrison, PhD, Abdelmonem A. Afifi, PhD and Eloise Jenks, MEd, RD

At the time of the study, Dena R. Herman was with the Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Public Health, Los Angeles; Gail G. Harrison was with the UCLA School of Public Health and UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Los Angeles; Abdelmonem A. Afifi was with the Department of Biostatistics, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles; and Eloise Jenks was with the Public Health Foundation Enterprises WIC Program, Irwindale, Calif.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Dena R. Herman, PhD, MPH, RD, Senior Scientist, Nutrilite, Division of Access Business Group, 5600 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90621-2007 (e-mail: dherman{at}ucla.edu).

Objectives. Intake of fruits and vegetables protects against several common chronic diseases, and low income is associated with lower intake. We tested the effectiveness of a subsidy for fruits and vegetables to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Methods. Women who enrolled for postpartum services (n=602) at 3 WIC sites in Los Angeles were assigned to an intervention (farmers’ market or supermarket, both with redeemable food vouchers) or control condition (a minimal nonfood incentive). Interventions were carried out for 6 months, and participants’ diets were followed for an additional 6 months.

Results. Intervention participants increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables and sustained the increase 6 months after the intervention was terminated (model adjusted R²=.13, P<.001). Farmers’ market participants showed an increase of 1.4 servings per 4186 kJ (1000 kcal) of consumed food (P<.001) from baseline to the end of intervention compared with controls, and supermarket participants showed an increase of 0.8 servings per 4186 kJ (P=.02).

Conclusions. Participants valued fresh fruits and vegetables, and adding them to the WIC food packages will result in increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

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