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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health and Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1462908

Gaining Stakeholder Perspectives to Shape a Produce Prescription Program to Improve Maternal and Birth Outcomes: A Qualitative Study.

Provisionally accepted
Helene Vilme Helene Vilme 1*Fang Fang Zhang Fang Fang Zhang 1Perrie O’Tierney-Ginn Perrie O’Tierney-Ginn 1,2Chenchen H Sun Chenchen H Sun 2Oyedolapo A Anyanwu Oyedolapo A Anyanwu 1Rukhshan Fahmi Rukhshan Fahmi 1Sara C Folta Sara C Folta 1
  • 1 Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • 2 School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction. Nutrition during pregnancy significantly impacts maternal and birth outcomes. A key factor contributing to the rise is poor nutrition. Produce prescription programs have the potential to address pregnancy-related adverse outcomes such as hypertensive disorders and gestational diabetes, but scientific evidence is limited. Purpose. To gain an in-depth understanding of how, why, and in what context produce prescriptions best meet the needs of pregnant women and are feasible to implement in prenatal care clinics. Methods. We conducted interviews with 11 patients with low incomes and/or experiencing food insecurity and 11 clinic staff from a major metropolitan OB/GYN clinic. Interview questions were designed to understand attitudes toward participating in or helping to implement a produce prescription program. We analyzed the data using a deductive qualitative content analysis approach. Results. Both patients and clinic staff perceived many benefits to this type of program, including easing financial strain, removing barriers to access, and addressing nutrition security during pregnancy. Both groups described a need to consider participants’ autonomy in the program design. Patients also perceived some drawbacks to the home delivery aspect, such as limited participation by patients due to unstable housing. Staff expressed some concerns about the staff time needed to implement this type of program. Conclusion. There was strong support for produce prescription programs for this population; however, results indicate that they may best meet needs if patient autonomy and delivery-related barriers are considered in the design. Designating screening and enrollment tasks for ancillary staff may facilitate implementation in clinics.

    Keywords: Produce prescription, Maternal health, nutrition, Food insecurity, food is medicine

    Received: 30 Oct 2024; Accepted: 30 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Vilme, Zhang, O’Tierney-Ginn, Sun, Anyanwu, Fahmi and Folta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Helene Vilme, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, 02111, Massachusetts, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.