Description/Abstract
Although previous studies have established the effectiveness of using small reward-based incentives in inducing the choice and consumption of healthier foods among children, little is known about their impact outside of experimental settings or their effectiveness over time when administered daily. This paper presents the results of a field experiment conducted to provide insight on these matters. The study employs a pretest-posttest within-subject design and was conducted at a summer program catering to low-income children between the ages of 5 and 12. Corroborating existing studies, the introduction of small reward-based incentives was found to induce large increases in the number of children choosing the healthy dessert options after lunch but disaggregating the results by week and days suggests that their impact diminishes over time. Attempts to ascertain their effect outside of experimental settings did not indicate that the introduction of rewards had any adverse effects, but also did not provide definitive results. Consequently, further research is needed in this regard.
Document Type
Working Paper
Date
Fall 11-2016
Keywords
Field Experiment, Food Choice, Child Behavior, Incentives, Temporal Effects, Ripple Effects, Nutrition
Language
English
Series
Working Papers Series
Disciplines
Health Policy | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Welfare
ISSN
1525-3066
Recommended Citation
Toossi, Saied, "Incentivizing Healthy Eating in Children: An Investigation of the “Ripple” and “Temporal” Effects of Reward-Based Interventions" (2016). Center for Policy Research. 224.
https://surface.syr.edu/cpr/224
Accessible PDF version
Source
Local input
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Additional Information
Working paper no. 193