Medically Tailored Grocery Delivery for Food Pantry Clients with Diabetes

Abstract

Objective: To determine the impact of a home-delivered, medically tailored grocery intervention on glycemic control and diet quality among participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) experiencing food insecurity. Methods: A single-arm prepost study was conducted. One hundred one English, Spanish, or Marshallese-speaking adults were recruited from food pantries in Northwest Arkansas (from August 2021 to February 2023). Twelve weekly T2D-appropriate food boxes with diabetes self-management education and support materials were home-delivered. Primary outcomes measured at preintervention and postintervention included hemoglobin A1c and diet quality (i.e., Healthy Eating Index-2015). Results: Mixed-effects regressions controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, household size, education, and employment found hemoglobin A1c scores significantly decreased by 0.56% (units) at postintervention compared with preintervention (P = 0.01). No significant changes in Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores were found (P = 0.47). Conclusions and Implications: Future research may build on this study's findings and explore mechanisms whereby medically tailored groceries can benefit people across communities experiencing high rates of food insecurity and T2D.