University of California, Los Angeles
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a culturally tailored nutrition education intervention designed to improve diet quality and reduce nutrition-related cardiometabolic disease risk among low-income adults participating in the Los Angeles County Food Rx Fresh Produce Distribution Program. Participants are adults aged 18 years and older who experience food insecurity and receive services through Food Rx produce distribution sites. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does participation in the Diet Quality Matters intervention reduce food neophobia (reluctance to try unfamiliar foods)? Does participation improve overall dietary quality as measured by validated diet quality assessment tools? Does participation improve food resource management skills, nutrition-related self-efficacy, and food security? Does participation lead to improvements in cardiometabolic risk indicators, including body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure? Is the intervention acceptable, feasible, and culturally relevant to participants and program staff? Participants will: Complete baseline surveys assessing food neophobia, diet quality, food security, food resource management skills, and self-efficacy. Attend three monthly nutrition education sessions that include: Guided group motivational interviewing discussions. Live culturally tailored cooking demonstrations. Taste-testing of featured foods. Group discussions about adapting recipes to participants' cultural and household preferences. Undergo height, weight, and blood pressure measurements. Complete follow-up surveys approximately 3 months after the final intervention session. Participate in optional feedback interviews regarding their experiences with the program.
Background Food insecurity disproportionately affects low-income households and communities of color and is associated with reduced dietary quality and increased risk of chronic cardiometabolic conditions, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. Although fresh produce distribution programs improve access to fruits and vegetables, evidence demonstrating sustained improvements in overall dietary quality and chronic disease risk reduction remains limited. The Los Angeles County Food Rx Collaborative operates produce distribution programs th…
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 years or older. * Current participant or recipient of services from a Food Rx produce distribution program. * Able to provide informed consent. * Able to communicate in English or Spanish. * Willing and able to attend the nutrition education and recipe demonstration sessions. * Previously agreed to be contacted for future research participation or recruited through approved community outreach activities. Exclusion Criteria: * Younger than 18 years of age. * Pregnant. * Unable to provide informed consent due to severe cognitive impairment or other conditi…
Diet Quality Matters (DQM) is a culturally tailored behavioral nutrition education intervention designed to improve diet quality and reduce cardiometabolic disease risk among food-insecure adults participating in the Los Angeles County Food Rx Program. Adapted from the evidence-based Cooking Matters curriculum, DQM combines motivational interviewing, nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, taste testing, and culturally relevant group discussions to increase consumption of diverse minimally processed plant foods and reduce food neophobia. Participants attend three monthly in-person group sessions, each lasting approximately 60 minutes and delivered during Food Rx produce distribution events. Sessions include guided motivational interviewing (15 minutes), a live recipe demonstration and taste testing (30 minutes), and a discussion on adapting healthy eating practices to participants' cultural and household preferences (15 minutes).