Food for cancer health: the impact of a culturally tailored food voucher intervention on food insecurity and quality of life among Latino/a/e/x patients with cancer

Top Things to Know

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Summary of Conclusion/Findings

This single-arm prospective study evaluated a culturally tailored food voucher intervention among 30 low-income adults with cancer receiving treatment at a community oncology clinic in California; 90% identified as Latino/a/e/x and 80% preferred Spanish. Participants received a $40 monthly fruit and vegetable voucher for six months that could be redeemed at community-selected retailers offering culturally relevant food options. Food insecurity decreased substantially from 100% at baseline to 16.7% at six months, with 83.3% of participants no longer screening positive for food insecurity (p<0.001). Health-related quality of life improved significantly, with mean FACT-G scores increasing from 71.9 to 78.9 (p=0.025), and financial well-being improved, with mean COST-FACIT scores increasing from 25.1 to 31.2 (p<0.01). All participants fully redeemed their vouchers each month, reported satisfaction with the intervention, and adhered to recommended cancer treatment during the study period. Because the study was small, conducted at a single clinic, and lacked a comparison group, the findings demonstrate an association rather than a causal effect and may have limited generalizability to other populations and settings.