Community-Engaged Codesign and Piloting of the FOOD4MOMS Produce Prescription Program for Pregnant Latina Women

Background

Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is key for maternal-child food and nutrition security. In the United States, fruit and vegetable consumption is lower among low-income families. Produce prescription programs (PRx) provide monetary benefits to low-income individuals to buy fresh produce or directly provide the produce itself to improve their food and nutrition security.

Objective

To codesign the FOOD4MOMS PRx (F4M) program for low-income Hispanic pregnant mothers and to test its feasibility through a pilot study using the Program Impact Pathway framework.

Methods

The participants for the codesign phase and the feasibility phase were recruited from the Hispanic Health Council Maternal Health Programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children program. Listening sessions (LSs) with adult Hispanic pregnant and nonpregnant women with children aged <3 y were conducted and transcribed for thematic analysis to inform the F4M codesign. The pilot feasibility study only included adult pregnant women enrolled during the first 2 pregnancy trimesters.

Results

The 3 codesign LSs (n = 21 participants) showed that participants thought good nutrition was very important during pregnancy and were very interested in having skill-building nutrition classes as part of the PRx. Most participants preferred receiving incentives through the Fresh Connect card to allow them to choose their produce. They also recognized that some participants with limited transportation options may benefit from a produce box delivered at home. All pilot study participants chose the electronic benefit transfer card as their incentive redemption channel. The redemption rate of benefits by pilot participants was 70% and they felt that F4M helped them and their families consume more produce. Pilot participants reported high levels of satisfaction with F4M.

Conclusion

The community-engaged codesign approach likely explains the successful piloting of the feasibility of F4M and the strong satisfaction of the clients participating in it.