Mobile Food Market for Healthy Eating

Overseen By Melissa Horning, PhD, RN, PHN

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Minnesota

Disqualifiers: Moving, Already shopping, No contact, Others

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

Approved in 1 Jurisdiction This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores whether a mobile food market can improve diet quality and food security for people in low-income neighborhoods. Participants will either access a bus selling affordable, healthy foods (full-service market intervention) or be placed on a waitlist for this service. The goal is to determine if a nearby mobile market improves eating habits and increases access to nutritious foods. The trial seeks individuals who are the main food shoppers in their households, live near the community sites, and are likely to shop at the mobile market if it visits their area. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could enhance community health and food access.

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

The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems unlikely, as the trial focuses on food access and diet.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on diet and food access, so it's unlikely that medication changes are required.

What prior data suggests that this mobile food market intervention is safe?

Research shows that full-service mobile markets can positively impact diet and health. These markets provide fresh fruits and vegetables, especially in underserved areas, leading to healthier eating habits and improved food access. By bringing healthy foods closer to where people live and offering them at lower prices, these markets make purchasing nutritious options easier.

Regarding safety, the emphasis is on the benefits of access to healthier food options rather than any medical risks. No evidence suggests harmful effects from participating in these programs. Instead, studies have found that they enhance access to nutritious food, supporting better overall health. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Mobile Food Market for Healthy Eating because it introduces a new way to improve diet quality in low-income neighborhoods. Unlike traditional methods that rely on education or subsidies, this intervention brings a full-service market directly to underserved areas, making healthy food more accessible. This approach targets the root cause of poor nutrition by increasing availability and convenience, which could lead to more sustainable healthy eating habits.

What evidence suggests that the full-service mobile market intervention could be effective for improving diet quality and food security?

This trial will compare the effects of a full-service mobile market intervention with a waitlist control group. Research has shown that mobile food markets can promote healthier eating by making nutritious foods more accessible. These markets are particularly beneficial in low-income areas, as they lower the cost and reduce the distance needed to access fruits and vegetables. Studies have found that people who shop at these mobile markets tend to consume more healthy foods. Additionally, these markets improve food security by making groceries more affordable. Overall, mobile markets play a valuable role in encouraging healthier eating habits in communities that need them most. ^{1 2 3 4 6}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Melissa Horning, PhD, RN, PHN

Principal Investigator

University of Minnesota

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for primary food shoppers aged 18 or older who live near certain low-income, underserved neighborhoods. They must be likely to shop at a mobile market if available, speak English/ASL, and be able to participate in study activities. Excluded are those planning to move soon, without contact info, or with conditions affecting participation/data quality.

Inclusion Criteria

Living within a half mile of the community site location

Willing and able to participate in all study data collection activities

Reporting to be likely or somewhat likely to shop at the market

Exclusion Criteria

Not having a phone number or mailing address

Presence of a condition or abnormality that would prohibit participation in the study or the quality of the data

I am currently shopping at the mobile market.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Baseline Data Collection

Baseline data is collected and sites are randomized to either receive the full-service mobile market intervention or serve as the waitlist control

4 weeks

Intervention

Implementation of the full-service mobile market at intervention sites

6 months

Regular visits by the mobile market

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in diet quality, food security, and food purchasing outcomes

6 months

Waitlist Control Intervention

Waitlist control sites receive the full-service mobile market intervention after follow-up data collection

6 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Full-service market intervention
• No intervention

Trial Overview The trial tests whether a full-service mobile market selling affordable nutritious foods can improve diet quality and food security among residents of low-income areas. Half the sites get the market intervention; the other half wait their turn while serving as controls. Diet changes will be tracked over six months.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Experimental group Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants in low-income neighborhoods and/or adjacent to low-income housing randomized to the intervention group will receive the full-service market intervention following randomization.

Group II: Waitlist control Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Participants in low-income neighborhoods and/or adjacent to low-income housing randomized to the control group will be placed on a waitlist to receive market service after follow- up data collection is complete.

Full-service market intervention is already approved in United States for the following indications:

Approved in United States as Mobile Food Market for:

• Improving diet quality
• Reducing food insecurity
• Increasing healthy food purchases

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Minnesota

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,459

Recruited

1,623,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The Veggie Van (VV) program, evaluated through a cluster-randomized controlled trial with 201 participants across 12 sites in North Carolina, aims to improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables (F/V) in underserved communities, addressing barriers like cost and preparation time.

Baseline data showed that participants reported an average F/V intake of 3.4 cups/day, with significant barriers to consumption identified, including cost and low self-efficacy in trying new vegetables, highlighting the need for interventions that enhance skills in purchasing and preparing F/V.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Cluster-Randomized Trial of a Mobile Produce Market Program in 12 Communities in North Carolina: Program Development, Methods, and Baseline Characteristics. Leone, LA., Tripicchio, GL., Haynes-Maslow, L., et al.[2022]

Mobile food markets can help increase fruit and vegetable consumption among shoppers, indicating their potential effectiveness in promoting healthier food choices in food deserts.

Both shoppers and non-shoppers view fruits and vegetables as luxury items and lack knowledge about serving sizes and daily recommendations, highlighting the need for better education and awareness to improve the success of mobile markets.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Overcoming challenges to effectiveness of mobile markets in US food deserts. Zepeda, L., Reznickova, A., Lohr, L.[2016]

In 2001, there were approximately 4.3 million visits to healthcare facilities in the U.S. due to adverse drug events (VADEs), indicating a significant patient safety concern.

The study found that VADEs were more common in elderly patients aged 65-74 and in females, highlighting the need for targeted safety measures in these populations.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ambulatory care visits for treating adverse drug effects in the United States, 1995-2001. Zhan, C., Arispe, I., Kelley, E., et al.[2019]

A risk assessment of regular carbonated soft drink (RCSD) consumption in schools found no significant relationship between RCSD intake and body mass index (BMI) based on data from three major studies involving low consumption levels (15-60 g/day).

The analysis indicates that targeting RCSD consumption in schools as a strategy for preventing adolescent overweight may not be effective, suggesting a need to explore other factors influencing BMI.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A risk analysis model of the relationship between beverage consumption from school vending machines and risk of adolescent overweight. Forshee, RA., Storey, ML., Ginevan, ME.[2006]

The Twin Cities Mobile Market, a full-service mobile grocery store, has the potential to improve access to healthy foods in underserved communities, helping to reduce barriers to purchasing nutritious items.

Customer feedback from focus groups suggests that shopping at the mobile market positively influences dietary habits and health outcomes, including better management of weight, diabetes, and blood pressure.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Full-Service Twin Cities Mobile Market Impact: Qualitative Findings From Focus Groups With Customers. Horning, ML., Porter, LR., Hassan, A., et al.[2021]

The Food on the Move program in Rhode Island, which evolved from previous mobile market studies, has successfully improved access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables among low-income families, demonstrating its effectiveness over more than a decade of research.

The program implemented an innovative SNAP incentive initiative that significantly boosted produce sales, with over $50,000 in sales attributed to this incentive in 2018, showcasing a successful model for translating research into sustainable public health practice.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Translating Research-Funded Mobile Produce Market Trials Into Sustained Public Health Programs : Food on the Move. Evans, EW., Lyerly, R., Gans, KM., et al.[2023]

The American Heart Association's interventions in 8 communities successfully increased the availability of healthy vending options while reducing unhealthy choices, as assessed by the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey.

These policy, systems, and environmental changes demonstrate that targeted interventions can effectively improve access to healthy foods and beverages, potentially leading to lower rates of chronic diseases.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation of Community-Based Policy, Systems, and Environment Interventions Targeting the Vending Machines. Garcia, KM., Garney, WR., Primm, KM., et al.[2018]

Mobile produce markets are effective in improving access to fruits and vegetables in underserved communities, but they face significant challenges such as funding, regulatory navigation, and community engagement, as identified through interviews with 21 key informants from organizations operating for over 2 years.

To enhance the success of these markets, strategies like maximizing additional services, innovative staffing solutions, and formal partnerships with community organizations are recommended, highlighting the need for further research on effective practices for sustainability.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Operational challenges that may affect implementation of evidence-based mobile market interventions. Kasprzak, CM., Lally, AE., Schoonover, JJ., et al.[2022]

Mobile produce markets are an effective way to increase access to affordable fruits and vegetables in underserved communities across the U.S., promoting better health and nutrition.

Standardizing practices among mobile markets is crucial for enhancing their effectiveness and sustainability, as these markets share common goals of food access, health education, and community empowerment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using common practices to establish a framework for mobile produce markets in the United States. Kasprzak, CM., Schoonover, JJ., Gallicchio, D., et al.[2022]

The study found that spontaneous adverse event reports (SAERs) for generic drugs were significantly lower than those for original branded drugs, indicating potential underreporting of safety issues for generics.

As generic drugs gained market share, the reporting of SAERs did not increase correspondingly, suggesting that relying solely on SAERs may not be sufficient for ensuring drug safety, especially when generics dominate the market.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Lower Proportion of Spontaneous Adverse Event Reports for Generic Drugs by Comparison With Original Branded Drugs at the Postmarket Stage in Japan. Takami, A., Hirata, K., Ishiguro, C., et al.[2020]

The study developed a big data analytics strategy that effectively detects and identifies adverse drug events (ADEs) from both biomedical articles and health-related social media, achieving high accuracy (92.7%) and precision (93.6%).

This research represents a pioneering effort in using machine learning and text mining on large datasets to analyze ADEs, providing a scalable method for real-time updates and visualization of ADE interactions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse Drug Event Discovery Using Biomedical Literature: A Big Data Neural Network Adventure. P Tafti, A., Badger, J., LaRose, E., et al.[2020]

The definition of an adverse drug event (ADE) should be tailored to the specific purpose of the evaluation, with stricter definitions needed for scientific studies and more flexible ones for clinical use.

Postmarketing safety data for drugs is limited at launch, but can be supplemented through systems like the FDA's Spontaneous Reporting System and targeted research projects, emphasizing the importance of robust epidemiological evidence for regulatory actions like drug recalls.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse drug events: identification and attribution. Rogers, AS.[2022]

A nutrition-focused quality improvement program for malnourished hospitalized patients significantly reduced 30-day readmissions and hospital length of stay, leading to substantial cost savings of nearly $1.9 million compared to the baseline cohort.

The program demonstrated a per-patient net savings of $1,499 and $3,858 when comparing different cohorts, highlighting the economic benefits of integrating nutrition interventions into patient care to enhance outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Budget Impact of a Comprehensive Nutrition-Focused Quality Improvement Program for Malnourished Hospitalized Patients. Sulo, S., Feldstein, J., Partridge, J., et al.[2021]

A study involving 78 overweight patients with type 2 diabetes showed that providing educational sessions and $6 coupons for farmers markets significantly increased their purchasing behavior from these markets after 12 weeks.

Participants in the intervention group also reported a slight increase in their daily fresh fruit intake, suggesting that combining education with economic incentives can positively influence dietary habits in low-income communities.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of a focused nutrition educational intervention coupled with improved access to fresh produce on purchasing behavior and consumption of fruits and vegetables in overweight patients with diabetes mellitus. Weinstein, E., Galindo, RJ., Fried, M., et al.[2018]

The intervention, which included a farmers' market and financial incentives, led to a marginally significant increase of 1.6 servings of fruits and vegetables consumed per day among 41 low-income diabetics over 22 weeks.

Diabetics who used financial incentives and visited the farmers' market more frequently had significantly higher odds of improving their fruit and vegetable consumption, highlighting the importance of addressing economic barriers to healthy food access.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A farmers' market at a federally qualified health center improves fruit and vegetable intake among low-income diabetics. Freedman, DA., Choi, SK., Hurley, T., et al.[2021]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11887311/

Evaluating the impact of a full-service mobile food market on ... By stocking foods to meet a range of dietary needs, full-service mobile markets may improve multiple aspects of diet, food security and fruit ...

2. jandonline.org jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(20)30200-8/abstract

Full-Service Twin Cities Mobile Market Impact Results. Findings indicate the full-service mobile market may facilitate purchase and eating of healthy foods through decreasing barriers and increasing access ...

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212267220302008

Full-Service Twin Cities Mobile Market Impact Findings indicate the full-service mobile market may facilitate purchase and eating of healthy foods through decreasing barriers and increasing access to ...

4. ams.usda.gov ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/MobileMarkets.pdf

Measuring Effects of Mobile Markets on Healthy Food Choices For the participants in this study, mobile markets facilitated healthy eating in food deserts; on average, those who shopped at mobile markets (shoppers) ate ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10200560/

Effectiveness of mobile produce markets in increasing ... MPM are critical resources of affordable produce and have been successful in improving access to FV among individuals of low socio-economic status in RI.

6. bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-13207-8

Operational challenges that may affect implementation of ... The goal of this research is to identify the challenges mobile markets face and ways to potentially mitigate those challenges.