Breaking Barriers to Food Security: Enhancing CalFresh Enrollment Among UC San Diego Students

Last registered on April 30, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Breaking Barriers to Food Security: Enhancing CalFresh Enrollment Among UC San Diego Students
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015746
Initial registration date
April 15, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 30, 2025, 8:32 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region
CA

Primary Investigator

Name
Christine Aman
Affiliation
Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sally Sadoff
PI Affiliation
UCSD
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Eric Floyd
PI Affiliation
UCSD
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Mia Jerphagnon
PI Affiliation
UCSD
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-04-16
End date
2025-06-13
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This proposed study investigates how behavioral interventions effect take-up of the program CalFresh and student's wellbeing.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Aman, Christine et al. 2025. "Breaking Barriers to Food Security: Enhancing CalFresh Enrollment Among UC San Diego Students." AEA RCT Registry. April 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15746-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants will be randomized into one of four groups. The first group is the control group who will have access to the same resources in applying for CalFresh as any student enrolled at UCSD. The second group will receive financial assistance for the duration of the intervention period. The third group will receive targeted outreach regarding applying to CalFresh. The final treatment group will receive both financial assistance and targeted outreach
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2025-04-16
Intervention End Date
2025-06-06

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We will measure the impact of the interventions on academic performance, nutrition, mental well-being and food insecurity.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants will be randomized into one of four groups. The first group is the control group who will have access to the same resources in applying for CalFresh as any student enrolled at UCSD. The second group will receive financial assistance for the duration of the intervention period. The third group will receive targeted outreach regarding applying to CalFresh. The final treatment group will receive both financial assistance and targeted outreach
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
The randomization will be done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
300 students
Sample size: planned number of observations
300 students. We plan to add additional cohorts in future waves, contingent on future funding.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
75 students
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of California, San Diego Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2025-04-03
IRB Approval Number
811956
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials