Delta GREENS Mississippi Food is Medicine Intervention

Mississippi is a place deeply rooted in cultural values, yet also a place where generations of communities have experienced persistent health challenges intertwined with poverty. In fact, about 77% of Mississippi counties meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture's definition of food deserts. This project focuses on Bolivar, Washington, and Sunflower, contiguous counties in the Delta that are designated as health disparity populations. Over 65% of the 100,000 residents are Black/African American and ~30% live at or below the poverty level. Obesity rates are high and the rate of diabetes is almost double the national average. Food is medicine programs -- health clinic mobile markets, produce prescription programs, and produce delivery - hold significant promise for addressing the alarming crisis of nutrition-related diseases. Across the U.S., Food is Medicine programs are in their infancy and accelerating at a rapid pace; since 2019, USDA has funded 116 produce prescription grants. However, no studies have evaluated the impact of food is medicine programs in a rigorous, randomized controlled trial measuring objective cardiometabolic risk factors among minority populations in communities with persistent disadvantage. Tufts University received a grant from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities to develop, test, and evaluate a Food is Medicine program in Mississippi. This study is focused on Delta GREENS Food is Medicine (FIM) Project. Delta GREENS Food is Medicine is a collaborative project in Bolivar, Washington, and Sunflower counties in Mississippi. The intervention involves regularly distributed fruit and vegetable produce boxes as well as nutrition education materials to the intervention group. The control group will receive produce boxes later, after they complete study activities. Participants will be patients at Delta Health Center (DHC) clinics in Mississippi. The project capitalizes on the past success of community-based efforts and decades of community-engaged research at Tufts University, including prior nutrition work in the Delta region. Despite its unique cultural and agricultural background, the Mississippi Delta has experienced persistent health challenges intertwined with poverty. By collaborating and building upon previous successes, the Delta GREENS FIM Project aims to address these challenges, and become a model for promoting nutrition security and management of chronic conditions in varied communities nationwide.