Typical randomization procedures we

Typical randomization procedures were modified after extensive discussions with the agency leadership and personnel, who were reluctant to recruit women for a study in which they could possibly receive free food and then be randomized to a control condition. To alleviate this concern, a procedure to preserve the random assignment but allow recruitment for a specific condition (intervention or control) was devised and approved by the IRB. Agency personnel first produced a list of all eligible clients (N = 93), which was randomized by the university researchers to 2 lists. A random procedure was used to classify 1 list as intervention and the other as control. Names on each list were then placed in random order. Agency personnel trained by the researchers and using scripts approved by the IRB called participants in the order listed until 25 on each list had been recruited. Both intervention and control scripts recruited women to participate in research “designed to learn more about foods families in [the agency’s] programs eat, where they get these foods, and some of the factors involved in their choosing these foods.” Both scripts described the evaluation questionnaires. The intervention script described participation in the CSA program; the control script did not. Recruiters kept records of the disposition of each person on the list. From 29 potential intervention participants contacted, 1 was ineligible and 2 refused to participate (refusal ratio = 7%). From the list of 26 potential control participants contacted, 1 person was ineligible and none refused to participate. All who agreed to participate signed an authorization to have their contact information given to the researchers.