Assessment of a Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program in the Northern Manhattan Community

Purpose: This study aimed to assess whether produce prescription redemption was associated with food insecurity (FI), sociodemographics, and nutrition-related health measures, and to identify factors affecting participation. Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Patients, equally divided between groups who redeemed and did not redeem prescriptions, completed a follow-up survey. Setting: Northern Manhattan, NY. Subjects: 242 patients referred to Nutrition at an academic medical center between June and November 2019. Intervention: All patients referred to Nutrition received prescriptions for produce at local Greenmarkets (patients with Fl received $20; other patients received $10). Measures: We assessed patient satisfaction and factors impacting participation. Sociodemographics and nutrition-related health measures were extracted from medical records. Analysis: The chi(2) test for categorical data and Student's t-test for continuous variables. Results: Prescription redeemers were significantly more likely to be very satisfied with the program (P < .001), have FI (P < .01), and have elevated hemoglobin A1C than non-redeemers (6.3 vs 5.5%, P < .001). Distance, time constraints, and forgetting or losing the prescription were common barriers, while convenience and valuing healthy eating facilitated redemption. Conclusion: Higher FI and worse hemoglobin A1c in patients who redeemed prescriptions suggests that our program reaches the target audience: patients needing food assistance and a healthier diet. Awareness of barriers offers areas for improvement. This provides a feasible model for hospital investment to increase access to produce to improve health and health equity.