Impact of Food as Medicine Glycemic Control at Two Large Academic Medical Centers

The FRESH Program intervention provided four additional nutrition classes conducted weekly by dietitians. Prior to each class, participants were given a food kit with all the necessary ingredients to make a recipe taught in class in the upcoming week. During this time, participants were also sent ten freshly prepared medically tailored meals packaged within the Eskenazi Health Hospital kitchen and delivered to participant homes weekly. After the first month, participants were given $90 monthly fresh produce vouchers that were usable at local grocery stores. The intervention lasted for a total of 20 weeks. Another key component of the intervention was to ensure patients had essential cooking equipment to prepare recipes covered in the class. At baseline, study participants were given a basic kitchen utensil kit (i.e. measuring cups, measuring spoons) and were provided additional cooking instruments such as microwaves and pots and pans as needed.

Once IU Health identified eligible candidates, participants were referred to an external vendor, NourishedRx, which provided nutrition consultations with dietitians, and personalized nutrition plans for participants according to cultural preferences. NourishedRx then sent medically tailored meals for two weeks followed by fresh groceries for twelve weeks. NourishedRx staff also engaged patients weekly to support participants in making lasting dietary changes as a result of the program.