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Article

Qualitative Analysis of a Home-Delivered Produce Prescription Intervention to Improve Food and Nutrition Security

1
School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
2
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
3
Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20010, USA
4
Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
5
Elevance Health, Indianapolis, IN 46204, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Nutrients 2024, 16(23), 4010; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234010
Submission received: 4 November 2024 / Revised: 18 November 2024 / Accepted: 22 November 2024 / Published: 23 November 2024

Abstract

Background/Objective: In total, 17.9% of households with children experienced food insecurity (FI) in 2023. Produce prescription interventions (PRx) are a viable intervention to address FI and improve diet quality. Few studies have explored home-delivered PRxs in children. The objective of this qualitative study is to explore the experience of a novel PRx among families with young children in households at risk of experiencing FI and diet-related chronic disease. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with caretakers after the completion of a 12-month PRx. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify emergent themes. Univariate descriptive statistics were used to describe baseline demographics. Results: Twenty-five families were enrolled, from which eighteen completed the program and fifteen agreed to participate in an interview. All participants were African American women. The mean age was 30.2 (±6.4) years old, and the median household size was three. Qualitative data analysis revealed three major themes. (1) The produce delivery partially alleviated financial stress, contributing to increased produce consumption patterns; (2) the intervention positively shifted the nutrition- and cooking-related knowledge and behavior of families; and (3) familial and programmatic barriers affected participation and engagement. Conclusions: PRxs are a viable option to support families to lessen the burden of FI from financial hardship and build healthy dietary habits. These insights can inform future PRx program development, delivery, evaluation, and policy or funding decisions. Future research should examine the sustained impact of PRx on healthy eating, health outcomes among caregivers and their children, and the healthcare cost and utilization rates among PRx participants.
Keywords: food insecurity; pediatric obesity; diet-related chronic diseases; produce prescription; nutrition security; community clinical collaboration food insecurity; pediatric obesity; diet-related chronic diseases; produce prescription; nutrition security; community clinical collaboration

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MDPI and ACS Style

Caraballo, G.; Muleta, H.; Parmar, A.; Kim, N.; Ali, Q.; Fischer, L.; Essel, K. Qualitative Analysis of a Home-Delivered Produce Prescription Intervention to Improve Food and Nutrition Security. Nutrients 2024, 16, 4010. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234010

AMA Style

Caraballo G, Muleta H, Parmar A, Kim N, Ali Q, Fischer L, Essel K. Qualitative Analysis of a Home-Delivered Produce Prescription Intervention to Improve Food and Nutrition Security. Nutrients. 2024; 16(23):4010. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234010

Chicago/Turabian Style

Caraballo, Graciela, Hemen Muleta, Anar Parmar, Noah Kim, Qadira Ali, Laura Fischer, and Kofi Essel. 2024. "Qualitative Analysis of a Home-Delivered Produce Prescription Intervention to Improve Food and Nutrition Security" Nutrients 16, no. 23: 4010. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234010

APA Style

Caraballo, G., Muleta, H., Parmar, A., Kim, N., Ali, Q., Fischer, L., & Essel, K. (2024). Qualitative Analysis of a Home-Delivered Produce Prescription Intervention to Improve Food and Nutrition Security. Nutrients, 16(23), 4010. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234010

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