Problem
To encourage people to cook and eat healthy foods rather than consume unhealthy, cheaper fast foods, a capstone candidate has proposed an intervention which involves reimbursing program participants for 50% of the costs of their groceries if they purchase and prepare unprocessed food. The research participants are not reimbursed for "unhealthy" fast or processed food they buy or eat. To be reimbursed the participants must keep a visual record of the foods they prepare and the receipts for their purchases and present them each week along with their recipes. The program has targeted patients at a community health center who have illnesses that the researcher believes would improve with better nutrition. The program provides healthcare to a largely uninsured, underserved population who do not qualify for other nutritional and medical programs. The researcher has informed the potential participants about the purpose of the research and the rules for receiving reimbursement.
Describe the ethical issues raised by this intervention proposal? How could this design be improved to address these issue