University at Buffalo Campus Veggie Van Mobile Market

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

• Ages 18 years and older
• All sexes
• Healthy volunteers accepted
• Adult, Older adult

Study population: Food-insecure undergraduate students at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY who are attending classes for the 2024-2025 school year.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

About this study

Official title: Adapting the Veggie Van Mobile Market Intervention to Address Disparities in Nutrition Security Among College Students

Conditions

Food Habits, Food Selection

Being tested

UB Campus Veggie Van

Medical subject headings

Feeding Behavior, Food Preferences

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

• UB Campus Veggie VanBehavioural

  Also called UB Veggie Van

  The UB Veggie Van is based on the Veggie Van, an evidence-based mobile produce market intervention. Mobile markets are like farmers' markets on wheels that travel to underserved communities selling high-quality, low-cost produce and healthy foods. The Veggie Van mobile market model was developed through multiple research studies on the efficacy, effectiveness, and implementation of the intervention, and is a multi-level intervention that addresses the five components of nutrition security (availability, accessibility, affordability, stability, and utilization). The UB Veggie Van is operated according to the Veggie Van model, with specific adaptations made to more effectively reach the campus community (Aim 1 of the larger funded study).

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

1. Change in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

   Fruit and vegetable consumption using items from the National Cancer Institute Dietary Screener Questionnaire and expressed as times per day. The Difference Row represents the change in the number of times fruits and vegetables were consumed per day at baseline and 13 weeks.

   Measured: Collected at baseline and after the 13-week intervention period

2. Change in Nutrition Security Status

   To capture broader aspects of nutritional well-being, we administered the 4-item Household Nutrition Security scale (developed by the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact). This scale asks how often (on a 5-point scale where "Always" equals 0 and "Never" equals 5) respondents experienced situations like: having to eat unhealthy foods due to limited options, being unable to obtain foods they felt they should eat, worrying that available food might harm their health, or eating the same thing for days due to lack of resources. We averaged the items to create a nutrition security score (0-4) for each participant, with higher scores reflecting greater nutrition security (i.e. rarely encountering those limitations). This measure is intended to complement food security by focusing on the quality and desirability of foods accessible to the individual. The Difference Row represents the change in nutrition security status scores recorded at baseline and 13 weeks.

   Measured: Collected at baseline and after the 13-week intervention period

3. Change in Skin Carotenoids Score

   We will use the "Veggie Meter", a noninvasive finger scan technology that relies on pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy. Skin carotenoid measurements correlate positively and significantly with blood carotenoids and reported dietary fruit and vegetable intake. Skin carotenoid scores are measured using a 0-800 score, with 0 meaning no detected skin carotenoids and therefore low fruit and vegetable intake. Higher scores indicate greater skin carotenoid presence and therefore higher fruit and vegetable consumption. The Difference Row represents the change in skin carotenoid scores between baseline and 13 weeks.

   Measured: Collected at baseline and after the 13-week intervention period

4. Change in Food Security Score

   Food security was measured using the 10-item USDA Adult Food Security Survey Module (score range 0-10). This instrument yields a score from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater food insecurity (more frequent or severe food access problems). As per standard thresholds, we classified scores ≥3 as food insecure (which was part of our eligibility criteria). In analysis, we treated food security as a continuous outcome (change in raw score). The Difference Row represents the change in food security score between baseline and 13 weeks.

   Measured: Collected at baseline and after the 13-week intervention period

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

1. First posted12 Nov 2024
2. Study start23 Aug 2024
3. Primary completion12 Jun 2025
4. Study completion12 Jun 2025

Resources

• Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
• Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
• Other trials for Food HabitsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
• What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.