Nutrition and Food Insecurity Screening in a Prescription Produce Program - Abstract - igaf122.2385

Sep 29, 2026

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Nutrition and food insecurity screening evaluates how the Prescription Produce Plan (PPP), a Food is Medicine intervention within a Mobile Health and Wellness Program, supports low-income older adults. PPP delivers six goal-setting sessions and weekly or bi-weekly fresh fruit and vegetable bags focused on behavior change and chronic disease self-management. A pre-post analysis with 81 enrolled participants (71 completed) links PPP to an 18% reduction in nutrition insecurity post-test and clarifies baseline food insecurity, pantry use, and health conditions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Background

PPP intervention overview

Methods

Pre-post analysis design and participants

Results

Nutrition insecurity changes and baseline descriptives

Conclusion

Community-based intervention impact and screening tool value

700 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2385 NUTRITION AND FOOD INSECURITY SCREENING IN A PRESCRIPTION PRODUCE PROGRAM Katherine Falls1, Ana Diallo2, Kimberly Battle1, Rachel Regal1, Natalie Mansion1, Genevieve Beaird1, Johnathan Williams3, and Leland Waters1, 1. Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States, 2. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, Richmond, Virginia, United States, 3. Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Translational Research, Richmond, Virginia, United States Understanding the complex social drivers that impact access to nutritious foods and dietary behaviors is essential to inform interventions that ultimately improve access to healthier options for older adults experiencing food and nutrition insecurity. The Prescription Produce Plan (PPP) is a Food is Medicine intervention embedded in the Mobile Health and Wellness Program, a wellness program serving low-income older adults. The PPP offers 6 goal-setting sessions and bags of fresh fruits and vegetables weekly or bi-weekly. The goal-setting sessions focus on behavior change to support chronic disease self-management. We conducted a pre-post analysis to measure the effects of the PPP on nutrition security and baseline descriptives of food security and access. Eighty-one participants enrolled, and 71 (88%) completed the program. On average, participants were 67 years old and reported five chronic diseases, with the most prevalent being hypertension (75%), type 2 diabetes (38%), and hypercholesterolemia (36%) . At baseline, 43 participants (53%) screened positive for food insecurity, while 51% reported nutrition insecurity and 55% reported using food pantries to access groceries. The program was significantly associated with an 18% decrease in nutrition insecurity at the post-test (Z= -2.4, p = 0.02) . These findings suggest that the PPP effectively addresses nutrition insecurity among older adults, emphasizing the importance of community-based interventions in tackling food access challenges. Additionally, using nutrition and food insecurity screening tools provides a deeper understanding of the complex nature of food access for older adults with significant health inequities.

FAQs

What intervention does the Prescription Produce Plan provide to older adults?

It offers six goal-setting sessions and provides bags of fresh fruits and vegetables weekly or bi-weekly to support behavior change for chronic disease self-management.

How was the program evaluated in the study?

The study used a pre-post analysis to measure PPP effects on nutrition security and to describe baseline food security, access, and related factors.

What outcomes did the program show for nutrition insecurity?

PPP was significantly associated with an 18% decrease in nutrition insecurity at post-test (Z = -2.4, p = 0.02).

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Fahsai