The Food for Health Study

Conditions studied

Type 2 Diabetes, Food Insecurity, Rural Health

About this study

The project, called Food for Health (F4H), will study a new Produce Prescription Program (PPP) designed for rural Native American older adults. The study is based in the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) of the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. In this community, many older adults face food insecurity and higher risk for Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). The tribal health department (THD) and local Food Resource Center (FRC) already provide important health and food support services, and this project builds on these strengths. Produce Prescription Programs (PPPs) is a type of nutrition support intervention that connects healthcare providers with local food programs to help patients access fresh, healthy foods. For example, an individual enrolled in the study will be "prescribe" fruits and vegetables in the form of a vouchers or coupons, which can be used to buy these foods at local food centers. Research shows that this type of program can reduce food insecurity, improve diet, and support better health. PPPs also fit well with tribal community priorities by supporting food sovereignty, culture-based nutrition education, and a stronger local food system. A key part of the study approach is using Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). CBPR means that community members, health providers, and researchers work together as equal partners. This way, the program is not just designed "for" the community, but "with" the community. The CSKT THD and community members have been involved in shaping this project from the start, and their priorities-like food security and food sovereignty-are at the center of the work. The investigators will carry out the study in two phases. Phase 1: Investigators will pilot test the acceptability of F4H in a small group of older adults (N=10) to understand the program's acceptability. The results will be used to refine and improve the program before moving to the next phase. Phase 2: Investigators will test the feasibility and impact of the refined F4H program with a larger group of older adults (N=33). Participant food insecurity and T2D risk factors, such as blood sugar and weight, will be measured before and after the program. Investigators expect that participants will have less food insecurity and healthier measures after completing the program. The clinic-to-community model is central to F4H. The THD will provide the prescriptions, and the FRC will be where participants redeem vouchers for fruits…

Interventions

• Behavioral: Produce Prescription Program — Produce Prescription Programs (PPPs) are an upstream evidence-based intervention (EBI) to reduce food insecurity and improve health. PPPs connect healthcare services (via provider prescriptions) to vouchers for free healthy food at Food Resource Centers (FRC) to enhance access and promote healthy eating among patients. For this study the PPP will be referred to as The Food for Health (F4H) intervention and will use a clinic-to-community model to link a tribal health dept. (THD) to a local FRC through the development of new collaboration and programming. The clinic-to-community model builds local capacity for synergy across healthcare and community-based entities to address unmet health and social needs.

Primary outcomes

• Intervention Feasibility Measure (Time Frame: Pre (week 0), mid (week 8), post intervention (week 17))

Eligibility information

Study locations

• Arlee Health Center, Arlee, Montana 59821 United States