Food Is Medicine Interventions to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children With Food Insecurity and Diabetes

Summary

Study Design: This two-arm parallel trial will randomize 12 families to receive 6-weeks of medically tailored meals or produce prescriptions. Both groups will receive nutrition coaching, weekly during the intervention. The hypothesis is that both interventions to have a positive impact on food security and fruit and vegetable intake. However, medically tailored meals also reduce the logistic barriers of planning, preparing, and calculating the carbohydrate content of nutritionally balanced meals essential for DM management. Therefore, the medically tailored meal intervention will result in greater improvements in the co-primary outcomes of diet quality and glucose stability after the intervention.

Eligibility

Age range

5–12 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

No

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Produce prescription

  Produce prescriptions: Weekly boxes of fresh produce. Similar to the USDA's TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program), boxes include 10-12 lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables per month (adjustable based on family size).

• Behavioral
  Medically tailored meal kits

  Medically Tailored Meals: Families will receive 3 semi-prepared medically tailored meal kits and recipes per week x 6 weeks.

• Behavioral
  Nutrition Coaching

  Nutrition Coaching: Nutrition coaches will provide families with weekly phone check-ins using brief motivational interviewing and applied problem solving. During the first half of the intervention (weeks 1-3), coaches will assess barriers to preparing and consuming the prescribed foods (meal kits or produce), with the goal of improving diet quality. The second half of the intervention (weeks 4-6) will focus on building self-efficacy, skills, and resources required to plan and prepare meals on a budget and strategies to increase fruit and vegetable intake.

Location