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Could Behavioral Economics Help Improve Diet Quality for Nutrition Assistance Program Participants?

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  • Just, David R.
  • Mancino, Lisa
  • Wansink, Brian

Abstract

Findings from behavioral and psychological studies indicate that people regularly and predictably behave in ways that contradict some standard assumptions of economic analysis. Recognizing that consumption choices are determined by factors other than prices, income, and information illuminates a broad array of strategies to influence consumers’ food choices. These strategies expand the list of possible ideas for improving the diet quality and health of participants in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Stamp Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

Suggested Citation

  • Just, David R. & Mancino, Lisa & Wansink, Brian, 2007. "Could Behavioral Economics Help Improve Diet Quality for Nutrition Assistance Program Participants?," Economic Research Report 6391, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersrr:6391
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.6391
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    Cited by:

    1. Just, David R. & Wansink, Brian & Mancino, Lisa & Guthrie, Joanne F., 2008. "Behavioral Economic Concepts To Encourage Healthy Eating in School Cafeterias: Experiments and Lessons From College Students," Economic Research Report 56489, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Newman, Constance, 2013. "Fruit and Vegetable Consumption by School Lunch Participants: Implications for the Success of New Nutrition Standards," Economic Research Report 262220, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    3. Gabrielyan, Gnel & Hanks, Drew S. & Hoy, Kathryn & Just, David R. & Wansink, Brian, 2017. "Who’s adopting the smarter lunchroom approach? Individual characteristics of innovative food service directors," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 72-80.
    4. Davidson, Kelly A. & Kropp, Jaclyn D. & Mullally, Conner C. & Rahman, M. Wakilur, 2018. "Behavioral Nudges and Nutrition Education in Bangladesh: Experimental Evidence Comparing Food Choices in a Lab Setting to Decisions at Home," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274134, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Ferro, Gabrielle & Gupta, Sonam & Kropp, Jaclyn D., 2013. "The Effect of Pre-Selection and Visual Cues on Food Item Selection by Middle School Children," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150305, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Miller, Gabrielle F. & Gupta, Sonam & Kropp, Jaclyn D. & Grogan, Kelly A. & Mathews, Anne, 2016. "The effects of pre-ordering and behavioral nudges on National School Lunch Program participants’ food item selection," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 4-16.
    7. Brigitte C. Madrian, 2014. "Applying Insights from Behavioral Economics to Policy Design," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 6(1), pages 663-688, August.
    8. Just, David R. & Gabrielyan, Gnel, 2018. "Influencing the food choices of SNAP consumers: Lessons from economics, psychology and marketing," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 309-317.
    9. Newman, Constance & Guthrie, Joanne & Mancino, Lisa & Snelling, Anastasia, 2013. "School Meals Experiment: Can a Taste Test Increase Vegetable Acceptance?," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150504, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    10. Knutson, Ronald D. & Currier, Russell W. & Ribera, Luis A. & Goeringer, L. Paul, 2010. "Asymmetry In Raw Milk Safety Perceptions And Information: Implications For Risk In Fresh Produce Marketing And Policy," 115th Joint EAAE/AAEA Seminar, September 15-17, 2010, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany 116440, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. John A. List & Anya Samek, 2017. "A Field Experiment on the Impact of Incentives on Milk Choice in the Lunchroom," Public Finance Review, , vol. 45(1), pages 44-67, January.
    12. Pham, Matthew V. & Roe, Brian E., 2013. "Will Reducing the Calorie Content of School Lunches Affect Participation? Evidence from a Choice Experiment with Suburban Parents," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 149816, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    13. Joseph Price & Jason Riis, 2012. "Behavioral Economics and the Psychology of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption," Journal of Food Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 1(1), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Huang, Jiaqi & Antonides, Gerrit & Nie, Fengying, 2020. "Is mental accounting of farm produce associated with more consumption of own-produced food?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    15. Rhodes, Charles, 2012. "A Dynamic Model of Failure to Maximize Utility in the Chronic Consumer Choice to Consume Foods High in Added Sugars," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124693, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    16. Carroll, Kathryn A. & Samek, Anya Savikhin & Zepeda, Lydia, 2016. "Product Bundling as a Behavioral Nudge: Investigating Consumer Fruit and Vegetable Selection using Dual-Self Theory," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236130, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    17. John Peters & Jimikaye Beck & Jan Lande & Zhaoxing Pan & Michelle Cardel & Keith Ayoob & James O. Hill, 2016. "Using Healthy Defaults in Walt Disney World Restaurants to Improve Nutritional Choices," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 92-103.
    18. Lombardini-Riipinen, Chiara & Lankoski, Leena, 2010. "Take off the heater: Utility effect and food environment effect in food consumption decisions," 115th Joint EAAE/AAEA Seminar, September 15-17, 2010, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany 116431, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    19. List, John A. & Samek, Anya Savikhin, 2015. "The behavioralist as nutritionist: Leveraging behavioral economics to improve child food choice and consumption," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 135-146.
    20. Oliveira, Victor, 2007. "Informing Food and Nutrition Assistance Policy: 10 Years of Research at ERS," Miscellaneous Publications 262274, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    21. Chien‐Yu Lai & John A List & Anya Samek, 2020. "Got Milk? Using Nudges to Reduce Consumption of Added Sugar," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 102(1), pages 154-168, January.
    22. Cash, Sean B. & McAlister, Anna R., 2017. "Young Food Consumers: How do Children Respond to Point-of-Purchase Interventions?," 2017 Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) Annual Meeting, January 6-8, 2017, Chicago, Illinois 252700, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    23. Graham, Hope E. & Vestal, Mallory K. & Guerrero, Bridget L., 2015. ""Go-Slow-Whoa!": Will Nutritional Information Influence Adolescent Food Choices and Lead to a Healthier Generation?," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 206007, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    24. Huang, Jiaqi & Antonides, Gerrit & Kuhlgatz, Christian H. & Nie, Fengying, 2018. "Mental accounting, production scale, and consumption of self-produced food: Empirical evidence from rural China," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273986, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    25. Rhodes, Charles, 2010. "Demographic Variability In U.S. Consumer Responsiveness To Carbonated Soft-Drink Marketing Practices," 115th Joint EAAE/AAEA Seminar, September 15-17, 2010, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany 116419, European Association of Agricultural Economists.

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