Primary Care and Food Bank Collaboration to Address Food Insecurity: A Pilot Randomized Trial

Abstract

Food insecurity is common in the United States and linked to poor control of conditions influenced by diet. We conducted a pilot randomized trial to test whether a novel partnership between a primary care practice and a municipal food bank would improve control of type 2 diabetes among patients with food insecurity. Participants received food bank produce delivered twice monthly to the practice site, brief teaching from a food bank dietitian, and home-based education from a community health worker. After 6 months, glycosylated hemoglobin decreased (absolute change) by 3.1% in the intervention group vs 1.7% in the control group ( P = .012). Scores on Starting the Conversation–Diet, a brief dietary measure, improved in the intervention group by 2.47 on a 14-point scale ( P < .001). Body mass indexes (BMIs) were unchanged. In this early-stage study, onsite collaboration between primary care and a regional food bank generated clinically meaningful reductions in HbA 1c and improvements in diet.