Study protocol: Feasibility of medically tailored meals for pediatric populations at risk for disparities in serious illness outcomes due to inequities in food-related social drivers of health (MTM-Kids)

Top Things to Know

By tailoring meals to the unique needs of adolescents with cancer, this study explores how MTMs can serve as a high-impact FIM intervention to improve treatment tolerance and long-term health.

The protocol recognizes that parental financial strain and time limitations are major barriers to healthy eating. MTMs reduce the burden on caregivers, making FIM interventions more feasible and equitable for families facing serious illness.

This study lays the groundwork for expanding MTMs to broader pediatric populations, offering a model for integrating food and clinical care to reduce disparities in outcomes linked to food insecurity.

Summary of Conclusion/Findings

The MTM-Kids study protocol outlines a feasibility trial of medically tailored meals (MTMs) for adolescents undergoing cancer treatment, aiming to address food-related social determinants of health. The study will enroll 15 adolescent-parent dyads from a pediatric oncology clinic, providing up to 10 frozen MTMs weekly over 12 weeks. It will assess feasibility through recruitment, retention, and adherence, and evaluate acceptability and appropriateness via surveys and interviews. Secondary outcomes include changes in household food insecurity, financial burden, and parental time demands. The intervention is designed to accommodate chemotherapy-induced taste changes and caregiving constraints. Findings will inform a future randomized controlled trial and potentially scale MTMs as a Food is Medicine strategy for pediatric serious illness populations.