602 - A Scoping Review on Pediatric Food and Produce Prescription Programs

Monday, May 1, 2023

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Poster Number: 602
Publication Number: 602.411

Hemen Muleta, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States; Laura Fischer, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States; Megan Chang, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Torrance, CA, United States; Chinwe Obudulu, United States Department of Agriculture, Alexandria, VA, United States; Noah Kim, Children's National Health System, Potomac, MD, United States; Kofi Essel, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Hemen Muleta, MD (she/her/hers)

Pediatric Resident - PGY3
Children's National Health System
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Background: Food Prescription Programs (FPPs) are a novel approach used in the clinical management of food insecurity (FI) and diet related chronic diseases. While FPPs are more established within the adult population, data exploring the effectiveness of FPPs implemented within pediatric populations are limited.

Objective:

To describe the landscape of pediatric FPP study designs and participant outcomes to explore opportunities for research and programmatic efforts.

Design/Methods: Articles were obtained from search within the following online databases: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Medline. Search criteria were limited to studies published between January 2000 and October 2022. Articles were screened and abstracted through the Covidence online software. Inclusion criteria included articles reporting on a pediatric population (0 to 18 years) and having a food prescription intervention implemented within a healthcare system in the United States. Data abstraction on patient population, study design/intervention, and major outcomes were completed.

Results:

Out of the 2711 studies screened, 1979 underwent title and abstract screening, 76 studies went through full-text screening, and 18 articles met eligibility criteria. Eleven studies were quantitative, five were qualitative, and two were mixed methods. Most studies (15) took place in primary care settings and sample sizes varied from four to 578. The intervention distribution models fell into two broad categories: food vouchers (13) and food box/pantries (5). More than half (11) of the studies offered nutrition education. Five outcome areas were reported: behavioral, FI, knowledge, health, and intervention feasibility. The most reported outcome was a decrease in FI status of participants, including in studies powered for statistical significance. Studies also showed an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption among children though the statistical significance was mixed. Overall, families reported improved nutritional knowledge, and the programs had high acceptability by families and providers. Only two studies studied health outcomes with just one study reporting a decrease in BMI of pediatric participants.

Conclusion(s): Pediatric FFPs are an emerging clinical intervention that have a positive correlation with improving FI and health related behaviors. More rigorous study designs and standardization of measurement tools are needed to assess the extent and significance of their outcomes and to compare results across different studies.