A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of adding community health worker coaching calls and healthy grocery bag deliveries to a Meals on Wheels home-delivered meal program for homebound older adults in Rhode Island.
IF 3.6 2区 医学Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Isabelli L Costa da Silva, Kim M Gans, Kali S Thomas, Roee Gutman, Brie Tyler, Snehaa Ray, Meghan Grady, Shana DeFelice, Maya Hussein, Amelia Lusi, Caitlin E Caspi
{"title":"A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of adding community health worker coaching calls and healthy grocery bag deliveries to a Meals on Wheels home-delivered meal program for homebound older adults in Rhode Island.","authors":"Isabelli L Costa da Silva, Kim M Gans, Kali S Thomas, Roee Gutman, Brie Tyler, Snehaa Ray, Meghan Grady, Shana DeFelice, Maya Hussein, Amelia Lusi, Caitlin E Caspi","doi":"10.1186/s12889-025-24080-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Home-delivered meal programs (HDMP), such as Meals on Wheels, offer nutritious meals for homebound older adults experiencing nutritional risk. Despite receiving meals, participants may still have difficulty achieving nutritional goals, overcoming social isolation, and addressing other health issues. We aim to evaluate the impact of adding enhancements to traditional HDMP on improving diet quality, food and nutrition security, loneliness, and health-related quality of life among older adults in a randomized controlled trial.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Homebound older adults at nutritional risk and participating in the Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, Inc. (MOWRI) HDMP are randomized to receive either a usual care control group of the traditional HDMP (5 meals delivered per week) or the enhanced program (Meals+), which includes four Community Health Worker (CHW) coaching calls using motivational interviewing, and delivery of three healthful grocery bags during 12 weeks, in addition to the traditional HDMP. The primary outcome is diet quality measured by the validated Dietary Screening Tool (DST). Food and nutrition security, loneliness, and health-related quality of life are secondary outcomes assessed by validated measures. In the 12-week follow-up call, CHWs also ask participants about utilization and satisfaction with the intervention. The usual care group receives coaching from CHWs to connect them to community resources in this follow-up call. Study procedures were tested in a pilot randomized controlled trial (n = 12), resulting in modifications to the study protocol.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Enhancements such as CHW calls and grocery bags can help HDMP target food access, social and health interventions for older adults. These enhanced HDMP have the potential to be sustained and replicated nationwide.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Number NCT06401694; Start date: 2024-06-20.</p>","PeriodicalId":9039,"journal":{"name":"BMC Public Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"3285"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BMC Public Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24080-6","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Home-delivered meal programs (HDMP), such as Meals on Wheels, offer nutritious meals for homebound older adults experiencing nutritional risk. Despite receiving meals, participants may still have difficulty achieving nutritional goals, overcoming social isolation, and addressing other health issues. We aim to evaluate the impact of adding enhancements to traditional HDMP on improving diet quality, food and nutrition security, loneliness, and health-related quality of life among older adults in a randomized controlled trial.
Methods: Homebound older adults at nutritional risk and participating in the Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, Inc. (MOWRI) HDMP are randomized to receive either a usual care control group of the traditional HDMP (5 meals delivered per week) or the enhanced program (Meals+), which includes four Community Health Worker (CHW) coaching calls using motivational interviewing, and delivery of three healthful grocery bags during 12 weeks, in addition to the traditional HDMP. The primary outcome is diet quality measured by the validated Dietary Screening Tool (DST). Food and nutrition security, loneliness, and health-related quality of life are secondary outcomes assessed by validated measures. In the 12-week follow-up call, CHWs also ask participants about utilization and satisfaction with the intervention. The usual care group receives coaching from CHWs to connect them to community resources in this follow-up call. Study procedures were tested in a pilot randomized controlled trial (n = 12), resulting in modifications to the study protocol.
Discussion: Enhancements such as CHW calls and grocery bags can help HDMP target food access, social and health interventions for older adults. These enhanced HDMP have the potential to be sustained and replicated nationwide.
Trial registration: Number NCT06401694; Start date: 2024-06-20.
期刊介绍：
BMC Public Health is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on the epidemiology of disease and the understanding of all aspects of public health. The journal has a special focus on the social determinants of health, the environmental, behavioral, and occupational correlates of health and disease, and the impact of health policies, practices and interventions on the community.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
