Li Zhongyu, Zhang Fang Fang, Cash Sean B, Hager Kurt, Trevino Leo, Folta Sara C
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States.
Amistad Community Health Center, Corpus Christi, TX, United States.
Front Nutr. 2024 Mar 21;11:1304519. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1304519. eCollection 2024.
Produce prescription programs are rapidly expanding as a type of Food is Medicine intervention with prospects for mitigating food insecurity and reducing diet-related health disparities. Gaining insight into participant perspectives on program logistics and perceived impacts is crucial to program success and improvements.
Between May and June 2021, we conducted individual and small group interviews with 23 caregivers with children aged 1-5 years who participated in a produce prescription program from 2020 to 2021 in Texas, U.S. They were provided with a gift card to a major national grocery retailer to purchase fresh produce. The card was reloaded $60 monthly for 8 months with automatic roll-over of unused funds to the next month. Participants also received nutrition education in the form of two videos. A deductive analysis approach was employed, and NVivo qualitative data analysis software was used to perform coding and to assist with subsequent analyses.
All 23 participants were female, with an average age of 37.5 years, and the majority identified as Hispanic/Latino (83%). About 43% of the families had three or more children. Six themes were generated from interviews. Three of these themes were related to program logistics: (1) ease of program use; (2) participant satisfaction with the incentive; and (3) desire for additional store options. The remaining main themes pertained to program impact: (1) the enhanced ability to purchase produce; (2) the usefulness of the nutrition education; and (3) persistent challenges encountered when preparing the produce for picky eaters and young children.
A pediatric produce prescription program was perceived as logistically easy and a helpful source of financial support for accessing fresh produce. Program features such as card-based incentive system and partnership with major grocery retailer were favored by participants. For future program design, it may be beneficial to consider collaborating with multiple grocery outlets and enhancing the intensity and targeting of nutrition education.
作为一种“食物即药物”的干预措施，农产品处方项目正在迅速扩展，有望缓解粮食不安全状况并减少与饮食相关的健康差距。深入了解参与者对项目后勤和感知影响的看法对于项目的成功和改进至关重要。
2021年5月至6月期间，我们对23名有1至5岁孩子的照顾者进行了个人和小组访谈，他们于2020年至2021年在美国得克萨斯州参与了一个农产品处方项目。他们获得了一张全国性大型杂货零售商的礼品卡，用于购买新鲜农产品。该卡每月充值60美元，为期8个月，未使用的资金自动结转至下个月。参与者还以两段视频的形式接受了营养教育。采用了演绎分析方法，并使用NVivo定性数据分析软件进行编码和辅助后续分析。
所有23名参与者均为女性，平均年龄37.5岁，大多数人认定为西班牙裔/拉丁裔（83%）。约43%的家庭有三个或更多孩子。访谈产生了六个主题。其中三个主题与项目后勤有关：（1）项目使用的便利性；（2）参与者对激励措施的满意度；（3）对更多商店选择的渴望。其余主要主题与项目影响有关：（1）购买农产品能力的增强；（2）营养教育的有用性；（3）为挑食的孩子和幼儿准备农产品时持续遇到的挑战。
儿科农产品处方项目在后勤方面被认为很容易，是获取新鲜农产品的有益资金支持来源。基于卡的激励系统和与大型杂货零售商的合作等项目特点受到参与者青睐。对于未来的项目设计，考虑与多个杂货店合作并加强营养教育的强度和针对性可能会有帮助。
