The impact of a produce prescription programme on healthy food purchasing and diabetes-related health outcomes

Top Things to Know

Frequent Spenders (those who consistently used their benefits) spent $8.77 more per month on produce, increased their fruit and vegetable variety by 2.52 unique items, and had a 4.1% increase in produce expenditure share (p < 0.001).

Increased program utilization did not lead to statistically significant changes in HbA1c, BMI, or blood pressure.

The study demonstrates that produce prescriptions can improve food purchasing habits, reinforcing their role in addressing food insecurity.

Summary of Conclusion/Findings

This study evaluated the impact of a Produce Prescription Program on healthy food purchasing and diabetes-related health outcomes among 699 food-insecure participants. The program successfully increased healthy food purchasing behavior, particularly among older adults and female participants who were more likely to use the benefits regularly. However, no significant changes were observed in HbA1c, BMI, or blood pressure, suggesting that the short duration and modest financial incentive may not have been enough to impact health outcomes. The study demonstrates that produce prescriptions can improve food purchasing habits, reinforcing their role in addressing food insecurity.