Abstract
Objective
To assess change in household food security associated with participation in a pediatric
fruit/vegetable prescription program.
Methods
The researchers analyzed clinic-based, fruit/vegetable prescription program data for
578 low-income families, collected in 2013–2015, and calculated changes in food security
(summative score; high/low/very low; and individual US Department of Agriculture measures).
Results
Of participating households, 72% increased their summative score over the course of
the program. In adjusted regression models, participants had higher change scores
with 5 or 6 clinical visits, compared with 1 or 2 visits (β = .07; 95% confidence
interval, 0.01–0.14), and college education of the primary caretaker, compared with
less than college (β = .05; 95% confidence interval, 0.01–0.09). Select clinic sites
(but neither visit nor redemption proportions) significantly contributed to change
score variance. All US Department of Agriculture measures saw significant increases.
Conclusions and Implications
Fruit/vegetable prescription programs may help providers address patients’ food insecurity.
Further research using experimental designs and implementation science could build
the case to incorporate programs into practice.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 14, 2018
Accepted:
August 3,
2018
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors' conflict of interest disclosures can be found online with this article on www.jneb.org.
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
