PROJECT EATT: Enjoying Affordable and Tasty Food Together
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Summary
The goal of this pilot study is to examine the feasibility of a novel meal kit and nutrition education intervention among adults aged 40 years and older, who are lower income, and to evaluate the preliminary impact of the meal kit and nutrition education intervention on food insecurity, dietary quality, mental health, quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors compared with general nutrition education materials in this population. The main questions are: What is the acceptability and satisfaction with the meal kits and nutrition education intervention? What are the participation rates in the nutrition education program and the evaluation of the intervention? What is the impact of the intervention on food insecurity, dietary quality and cooking and food preparation self-efficacy compared with general nutrition education materials? What is the impact of the intervention of psychosocial health, quality of life and cardiometabolic outcomes compared with general nutrition education materials?
Description
Food insecurity is a major risk factor for chronic health conditions through mechanisms such as poorer dietary quality and higher intake of processed foods due to high cost of healthier foods, poorer psychosocial health from increased stress and depression due to the worry of not having enough food, tradeoffs in spending and priorities to purchase food, and increased immune system activation and inflammation. Individuals who have lower income reported barriers to healthy eating beyond just access to healthy foods, including lack of time to prepare meals, insufficient nutrition knowledge, and l…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 40+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 40 years and older. * Household income at or less than the 200% the federal poverty level (household size 1: $30,120, household size 2: $40,880, household size 3: $51,640, household size 4: $62,400, and household size 5: $73,160) * Willing to provide informed consent and complete the study requirements, including attending study visits and completing questionnaires. * Access to a refrigerator or other means to safely store perishable food, as the meal kits require refrigeration. * BMI \> 30 kg/m2 and self-report having at least one of the following: elevated…
Interventions
- OtherMeal Kit and Nutrition Education
Meal kits contain ingredients for 3 meals designed for 4 servings, along with nutrition education materials, recipes, and information on how to store and prepare the meals. Weekly educational content focused on healthy eating, food security, and meal planning will be provided, either via print materials or through an online platform (e.g., email or app-based resources).
Location
- University of Massachusetts LowellLowell, Massachusetts