Abstract
Food insecurity is common in the United States and linked to poor control of conditions influenced by diet. We conducted a pilot randomized trial to test whether a novel partnership between a primary care practice and a municipal food bank would improve control of type 2 diabetes among patients with food insecurity. Participants received food bank produce delivered twice monthly to the practice site, brief teaching from a food bank dietitian, and home-based education from a community health worker. After 6 months, glycosylated hemoglobin decreased (absolute change) by 3.1% in the intervention group vs 1.7% in the control group (P =.012). Scores on Starting the Conversation–Diet, a brief dietary measure, improved in the intervention group by 2.47 on a 14-point scale (P <.001). Body mass indexes (BMIs) were unchanged. In this early-stage study, onsite collaboration between primary care and a regional food bank generated clinically meaningful reductions in HbA1c and improvements in diet.
Original language | English (US) |
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Journal | Nutrition and Metabolic Insights |
Volume | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 1 2019 |
Keywords
- Food insecurity
- diabetes mellitus
- primary health care
- type 2
- vulnerable populations
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Food Science
- Nutrition and Dietetics
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism