Marketing health by geographic location: improving awareness of the New Mexico Double Up Food Bucks program

TL;DR

This study examines how well marketing strategies for a nutrition program in New Mexico work, finding that effectiveness varies by location and suggesting tailored approaches.

Contribution

The study identifies geographic differences in the perceived effectiveness of marketing tools for a nutrition incentive program.

Findings

Most SNAP participants found DUFB marketing tools effective, but perceptions varied significantly between metro and nonmetro areas.

Lack of awareness was the main barrier for non-participation in the DUFB program.

Nonmetro participants showed higher perceived effectiveness for several marketing tools compared to metro participants.

Abstract

An estimated 26% of eligible New Mexicans participated in New Mexico Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB), a nutrition incentive initiative that provides SNAP participants an additional dollar for every dollar spent on eligible local foods. This study evaluated awareness and perceived effectiveness of DUFB program marketing strategies, tactics, and tools (tools) among adult Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants in New Mexico and compared awareness and perceived effectiveness by geographic location.

An online cross-sectional self-administered survey was used to evaluate the effectiveness of 10 DUFB marketing tools such as radio advertisements, social media, handouts and posters, and text messages. Survey respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, perspectives of tool effectiveness, and barriers to DUFB participation were collected, calculated, and compared by geographic location (metro vs. nonmetro) using SAS.

A total of 1061 New Mexico SNAP participants provided valid responses to the survey; of those, 65% were aware of DUFB and 40% had participated in DUFB. The majority (> 72%) agreed or strongly agreed each of the 10 marketing tools would encourage them to participate in DUFB, with significant differences observed between metro and nonmetro participants in their perceptions of the effectiveness of posters (70% vs. 77%), token signage (74% vs. 81%), social media videos and posts (78% vs. 86%), bus ads (78% vs. 84%), and the DUFB website (82% vs. 88%). The most common barrier reported by SNAP participants who had never used DUFB was that they did not know about DUFB (57%).

SNAP participants in New Mexico perceive current DUFB marketing tools as effective; however, marketing strategies should be tailored by geographic location to ensure significantly more SNAP participants know about and can access the program.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40795-026-01261-z.

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