A Community Based Approach to Increase Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables and Promote Weight Loss among Low Income Children and Individuals with Pre-diabetes in the District of Columbia

Identifying effective approaches to improving low-income populations’ health is a priority given the high rates of chronic disease in this population. We analyze data from the Produce Prescription program (Produce Rx), a weight management strategy that has been offered to DC residents in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Approximately $20 per week over six months was given to 419 residents screened by their clinicians for food insecurity to spend at local farmers’ markets on fresh produce. Obesity and pre-diabetes rates are the highest among African American and Hispanics recipients of the Produce Rx. The study design is a pre-and post-comparison of the Produce Rx contemporaneous outcomes for people currently in the program against future participants currently enrolled in SNAP. We find that participation in Produce Rx improves health related outcomes (decrease in BMI and blood pressure) among Medicaid-eligible children with baseline BMI-for-age percentile equal or higher 85% relative to children in the U.S. of the same sex and age. For adults, the outcome variables of interest are BMI, SBP and HbA1C. While we find significant reductions in BMI, improvements in other biomarkers is mixed. Produce Rx could be viewed as a substitute for SNAP and a proof of concept to the extent on which it is possible to prevent chronic conditions through healthy eating among vulnerable populations.