PovertyPaycheckPlusNCT03226548
Effect of EITC on Biological Markers of Aging, Health and Mortality
A study testing Paycheck Plus in people with Poverty and Tax Policy, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Paycheck Plus (PP) is a randomized controlled experiment (RCT) that explores the health and longevity effects associated with increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a national program that provides tax credits to low-income, disproportionately minority workers who file taxes. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Poverty, Tax Policy
- What is being tested?
- Paycheck Plus
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,350 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 20 Dec 2016to 31 Dec 2021
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
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 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- a US resident
- Filed taxes
- Earned <$30,000 in the previous year
- Aged 21-64
- Have a Social Security number
Who cannot join
- Eligible for Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance
- Married
- Have dependent children
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: An Experimental Investigation Into the Impact of Socioeconomic Context on Biological Markers of Aging, Health and Mortality
Paycheck Plus (PP) is a randomized controlled experiment (RCT) that explores the health and longevity effects associated with increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a national program that provides tax credits to low-income, disproportionately minority workers who file taxes. EITC is politically popular, having received bipartisan support. The EITC, along with state supplemental programs, have 7 million American families out of poverty. The investigators' preliminary data analyses show that the EITC has had large population health impacts, reversing declines in self rated health and survival among the poorest Americans.
Read the detailed description
Poverty disproportionately impacts minority and rural populations and is very strongly correlated with poor health over the life cycle, and has been hypothesized to lead to a shorter, less healthy aging process. Poverty is associated with a greater burden of disease than smoking and obesity combined and accounts for the bulk of health disparities by race. It is widely believed that an antipoverty policy, such as Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), could improve healthy aging among working-age low-income adults over the life cycle. It does so by increasing material hardship and psychological stress, two risk factors that are strongly correlated with biological markers of premature aging (e.g., shorter telomeres, higher cholesterol levels, and higher blood pressure).
- Conditions
- Poverty, Tax Policy
- Being tested
- Paycheck Plus
- Keywords
- Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Tax Credit, Paycheck Plus
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Paycheck PlusOther
A four-fold increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental | Experimental | Paycheck Plus: Participants will receive four times the standard Earned Income Tax Credit after filing their annual taxes Receives: Other: Paycheck Plus |
| Control | No intervention | Control participants will receive the standard Earned Income Tax Credit after filing their annual taxes |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Mean Score on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Depression will be measured using the subject's score on the PHQ-9.
Measured: 4 Years
EuroQol 5D5L
Health-related quality of life
Measured: 4 years
Secondary outcomes (3)
Mean Body Mass Index (BMI)
A measure of obesity
Measured: 2 Years
Telomere length
Telomere length is a measure of biological age
Measured: 4 years
Mortality
We will link records to National Death Index for future study
Measured: 4 years
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted21 Jul 2017
- Study start20 Dec 2016
- Primary completion31 Dec 2021
- Study completion31 Dec 2021
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for PovertyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Columbia UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 1,350 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- MDRC, National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Peter Muennig, MD, Principal investigator, Columbia University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03226548
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AAAQ9663 (ADD-ON)
- Other IDs
- R01AG054466
- Acronym
- PaycheckPlus
- Status last verified
- Apr 2022
- First submitted
- 18 Jul 2017
- Last updated
- 6 Apr 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: To protect participant privacy we cannot share our data
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 Apr 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- An Experimental Investigation Into the Impact of Socioeconomic Context on Biological Markers of Aging, Health and Mortality
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03226548
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PaycheckPlus / AAAQ9663 (ADD-ON)
- Conditions
- Poverty, Tax Policy
- Keywords
- Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Tax Credit, Paycheck Plus
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,350 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- MDRC, National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Study start
- 20 Dec 2016 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2021 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2021 (actual)
- First posted
- 21 Jul 2017 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Paycheck Plus (PP) is a randomized controlled experiment (RCT) that explores the health and longevity effects associated with increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a national program that provides tax credits to low-income, disproportionately minority workers who file taxes. EITC is politically popular, having received bipartisan support. The EITC, along with state supplemental programs, have 7 million American families out of poverty. The investigators' preliminary data analyses show that the EITC has had large population health impacts, reversing declines in self rated health and survival among the poorest Americans.
Detailed description
Poverty disproportionately impacts minority and rural populations and is very strongly correlated with poor health over the life cycle, and has been hypothesized to lead to a shorter, less healthy aging process. Poverty is associated with a greater burden of disease than smoking and obesity combined and accounts for the bulk of health disparities by race. It is widely believed that an antipoverty policy, such as Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), could improve healthy aging among working-age low-income adults over the life cycle. It does so by increasing material hardship and psychological stress, two risk factors that are strongly correlated with biological markers of premature aging (e.g., shorter telomeres, higher cholesterol levels, and higher blood pressure).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Randomized Controlled Trial
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental | Experimental | Other: Paycheck PlusPaycheck Plus: Participants will receive four times the standard Earned Income Tax Credit after filing their annual taxes |
| Control | No intervention | –Control participants will receive the standard Earned Income Tax Credit after filing their annual taxes |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- a US resident
- Filed taxes
- Earned <$30,000 in the previous year
- Aged 21-64
- Have a Social Security number
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Eligible for Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance
- Married
- Have dependent children
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Paycheck PlusA four-fold increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit | Other | Experimental |
Primary outcome
Mean Score on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Time frame: 4 Years
Depression will be measured using the subject's score on the PHQ-9.
EuroQol 5D5L
Time frame: 4 years
Health-related quality of life
3 secondary outcomes
Mean Body Mass Index (BMI)
Time frame: 2 Years
Telomere length
Time frame: 4 years
Mortality
Time frame: 4 years
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 Apr 2022.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. To protect participant privacy we cannot share our data
Related trials for Poverty
Active, not recruitingObservational study
A Longitudinal Cohort Study to Evaluate Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Disease in Haiti
Hypertension, Diabetes
Recruiting
Linking Education, Produce Provision, and Community Referrals to Improve Diabetes Care (LINK)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Nutrition Poor
Not yet recruiting
Be Well at Work-Plus: A Depression and Physical Activity Intervention for Hospital Service Workers (Aim 3)
Depression, Physical Inactivity
Not yet recruitingPhase 2
Fuling Yunhua Granules and Dihuang Baoyuan Granules in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes and Poor Glycemic Control Despite Lifestyle Intervention
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Active, not recruitingPhase 4
Diabetes in African Youth
type1diabetes
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Peter Muennig, MD principal investigator
Columbia University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Paycheck Plus in people with Poverty and Tax Policy, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Apr 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Mean Score on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) (time frame: 4 Years). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Apr 2022.