Online Grocery Shopping and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer Card (EBT): Perceptions of Head Start Caregivers

Shivani Gupta; Elizabeth Mayers; Sierra Schwierking; Miranda Westrick; Heather Schier; Amy R Sharn; Cara Pannell; Carolyn Gunther

doi:10.1080/03670244.2023.2187383

Online Grocery Shopping and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer Card (EBT): Perceptions of Head Start Caregivers

Ecol Food Nutr. 2023 Jan-Feb;62(1-2):75-87. doi: 10.1080/03670244.2023.2187383. Epub 2023 Mar 7.

Authors

Shivani Gupta¹, Elizabeth Mayers^{2

3}, Sierra Schwierking⁴, Miranda Westrick³, Heather Schier⁵, Amy R Sharn⁵, Cara Pannell⁵, Carolyn Gunther⁶

Affiliations

¹ Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
² College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Family and Consumer Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
³ College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
⁴ College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
⁵ College of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Sciences, Human Nutrition Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
⁶ College of Nursing, Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children, and Youth, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

PMID: 36880800
DOI: 10.1080/03670244.2023.2187383

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore perceptions of online grocery shopping and the online United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer card (EBT) program among Head Start caregivers. Three focus groups were conducted between December 2019 and January 2020. Most participants hadn't tried online grocery shopping. Concerns included others choosing perishables, receiving wrong items, and inappropriate substitutes. Perceived benefits included saving time, preventing impulse buys, and eating healthier. Results have broad applicability in the current COVID-19 pandemic where online grocery shopping and the online SNAP EBT program have rapidly expanded across the United States.

Keywords: Head start caregivers; online SNAP EBT; online grocery shopping.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Caregivers*
Commerce*
Early Intervention, Educational
Focus Groups
Food Assistance*
Food Supply*
Humans
Internet*
Pandemics
Poverty
Supermarkets
United States