WED-071 - Health Promotion Practice Strategies: A Case Study Deep Dive of the Foodfarmacy Produce Prescription Intervention

Brief Abstract Summary: Deep dive into the development and implementation of FoodFARMacy (FF), a produce prescription pilot that partners with community organizations to deliver a 12-month intervention to food and nutrition insecure adults with a diagnosed chronic disease (e.g. diabetes, hypertension). Knowledge will be shared regarding lessons learned through the planning, implementation, and research/evaluation of the project that will be useful to practitioners interested in engaging in community-focused Food is Medicine interventions. This will include 1) Conceptualizing aims and outcomes; 2) Establishing key actors; 3) Designing and implementing a protocol; 4) Research and evaluation; and 5) Using the information learned to create action steps.

Detailed abstract description:

Introduction: As the Food is Medicine (FiM) movement gains momentum nationally, there is a growing need to understand how these interventions are being implemented in practice. This presentation will Do a deep dive into the development and implementation of FoodFARMacy (FF), a produce prescription pilot that partners with community organizations to deliver a 12-month intervention to food and nutrition insecure adults with a diagnosed chronic disease (e.g. diabetes, hypertension). The intervention includes biweekly meetings with a coach from the partner organization to deliver nutrition education, goal setting, and a bag of fresh produce. This design supports sustainability through organizational-level practice changes and is a novel design approach that demonstrated enhanced recruitment and retention of minority populations. Outcome measures of the project include food and nutrition security, dietary quality, health outcomes measured through health biomarkers (e.g. BMI, hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, cholesterol levels), and program evaluation measures.

Results: As of August 2025, a total of 113 participants enrolled across six partner community health and clinical sites. Four of the six sites completed the 12-month intervention with a participant retention rate 81%; an important observation considering the sample is predominantly low-income (81% <$25,000 annual income), low-education attainment (67% ≤ high school level education), and identify as a minority populations( 44% Hispanic, 35% Black, and 32% Spanish-only speaking) all of which are highly medically underserved. Preliminary outcome measures reveal significant difference (p= <.001) in food and nutrition security and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables measured through both self-reported data and Skin carotenoid levels, a validated biomarker for fruit and vegetable consumption (p= <.004). Though not statistically significant, improvements were observed in all measures on full cholesterol panel readings and HbA1c, and a decrease in emergency room visits in the last three months. Program evaluation measures show a high level of satisfaction among both partner coaches and participants with design and delivery (e.g. duration, produce quality, nutrition education) and opportunities for adaptations due to barriers (e.g. transportation) and design flaws (e.g. the need for point-of-care testing).
Presentation Outline: Knowledge will be shared regarding lessons learned through the planning, implementation, and research/evaluation of the project that will be useful to practitioners interested in engaging in community-focused FiM interventions. This session deep dive into FF as a case study and cover the following topics and activities.
1. Conceptualizing aims and outcomes.
2. Establishing key actors.
3. Designing and implementing a protocol.