Prepared Meals + Grocery Gift Cards for Food Insecurity

(NOURISH Trial)

Overseen By Leila DeWitt, DO, MA

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Disqualifiers: Incapacity to consent, Moving soon

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

30 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to identify the best ways to assist families dealing with food insecurity, particularly when a child is hospitalized. It compares three approaches: delivering prepared meals, providing grocery gift cards, and offering information about food access resources. The trial suits caregivers of hospitalized children at Brenner Children's Hospital who live in Forsyth County, North Carolina, and have a freezer and oven at home. Participants should not have family members with food allergies and need to be comfortable receiving weekly meals or using grocery gift cards. As an unphased trial, this study offers families a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could enhance support systems for those facing food insecurity.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on food insecurity, so it's unlikely that your medications will be affected, but you should confirm with the trial organizers.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Previous studies have shown that providing prepared meals effectively reduces food insecurity. For example, one study found that food insecurity dropped from 100% to just 5.9% after only a few weeks of meal delivery. This finding suggests that home-delivered meals can safely and positively assist families in need.

Similarly, research has shown that grocery gift cards effectively address food insecurity. Families receiving these cards weekly accessed and consumed more healthy foods. No significant negative effects have been reported from using grocery gift cards as a support tool.

Both prepared meals and grocery gift cards appear to be safe and well-tolerated options for helping families struggling with food insecurity. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these treatments because they offer practical solutions to food insecurity by directly providing nourishment and resources. Prepared meals ensure consistent access to nutritious food with weekly home deliveries, reducing the burden of meal preparation. Grocery gift cards empower individuals to choose their own food, offering flexibility and respecting personal preferences. Unlike traditional printed resources that only provide information, these approaches aim to address immediate nutritional needs and enhance food security in a tangible way.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for food insecurity?

This trial will compare the effects of prepared meals and grocery gift cards on food insecurity. Research has shown that both ready-to-eat meals and grocery gift cards can help reduce food insecurity. Participants in the prepared meals arm will receive weekly home meal deliveries for four weeks. Studies have found that meal kits and ready-made meals improve access to food and diet quality for recipients. Those who receive prepared meals report better access to healthy food and less worry about their next meal. Meanwhile, participants in the grocery gift cards arm will receive weekly grocery store gift cards for four weeks. Similarly, grocery gift cards help families purchase nutritious food. Recipients of gift cards are more likely to have enough healthy food for their families. Both approaches show promise in improving food access and reducing concerns about food shortages. ^{1 2 3 4 6}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Leila DeWitt, DO, MA

Principal Investigator

Brenner Children's Hospital

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for caregivers of pediatric patients hospitalized with food insecurity at Brenner Children's Hospital. Participants must have a freezer and oven, speak English or Spanish, live in the same household as the patient without family members having food allergies, reside in Forsyth County, NC, and be willing to accept weekly meal deliveries.

Inclusion Criteria

Has a freezer and oven in the household

I speak English or Spanish.

Does not have family members with food allergies in the household

Exclusion Criteria

I am unable to give legal consent by myself.

Planning to leave Forsyth County, North Carolina within 6 months of enrollment date

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive either weekly home meal delivery or grocery store gift cards for four weeks

4 weeks

Weekly interactions for meal delivery or gift card distribution

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in food insecurity, readmission rates, and primary care follow-up

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Grocery Gift Cards
• Prepared Meals

Trial Overview The study aims to find effective ways to assist families facing food insecurity by comparing three approaches: providing prepared meals, offering grocery gift cards, and using standard care practices. The effectiveness of these interventions will help understand how best to support these families.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Prepared Meals Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Weekly home meal delivery for four weeks.

Group II: Grocery Gift Cards Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Weekly grocery store gift cards for four weeks.

Group III: Standard of Care Active Control 1 Intervention

Provision of printed and electronic food access resources.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,432

Recruited

2,506,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10641610/

Experiences and perceived outcomes of a grocery gift card ... With GGC, recipients reported that they were more likely to have adequate nutritious food for their entire families without needing to sacrifice their own ...

2. shmpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com shmpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jhm.70213

Giving Resources to lOw‐income Children to Enhance ... We hypothesize that children in families who receive monthly grocery store gift cards after discharge will have reduced FI and lower urgent ...

3. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2792755

Effect of Brief Produce Exposure and Unconstrained ... Produce boxes and $10 grocery gift cards provided to caregivers weekly for 4 weeks resulted in a mean increase in net healthy food items eaten per child.

4. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37528809/

Experiences and perceived outcomes of a grocery gift card ... Experiences and perceived outcomes of a grocery gift card programme for households at risk of food insecurity. Public Health Nutr. 2023 Nov ...

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404625003768

Feasibility of an Online Grocery Intervention Pilot to ... The analysis of behavioral outcomes also revealed a reduction in household food insecurity over time, with a prepost difference in mean −0.60 ± 2.1, regardless ...

6. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335525000415

Food insecurity and risk of nutrition ... The prevalence of food insecurity among SNAP participants was higher than Americans, on average. Perceived food access barriers were associated with food and ...