Online grocery services may be a promising strategy to increase food access by creating systems that increase the self-reliance of communities to meet their food needs; however, there may be unintended consequences that should be considered. Despite the potential to increase healthier choices, individuals may purchase more soft drinks and juices online than fresh produce. The USDA launched a pilot to assess the feasibility of a SNAP online purchasing program, which is soon to be launched in Maryland. This project aims to develop and test a reliable and valid questionnaire that assesses attitudes, social norms, and behavioral control perceptions of online and in-store grocery shopping among SNAP participants with children under 8 years of age. The questionnaire will allow the attitudes, social norms, and behavioral control perceptions between online and in-store shoppers to be assessed as well as compared.
Assessing Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program families' online food purchasing behaviors to inform policies targeting expansion of SNAP benefits
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