Evaluating the Food Education Access Support Together (FEAST) Perinatal Support Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Latino individuals face an elevated risk of adverse health outcomes during pregnancy, impacting both the birthing parent and the baby with potential long-term chronic health conditions. While promoting a healthy diet during pregnancy is a promising strategy, interventions targeting dietary behaviors have yielded mixed results and lack widespread dissemination in communities in need. Collaborating with community-based organizations could enhance cultural relevance, build trust with Latino families, and improve program reach and effectiveness. Food Education Access Support Together (FEAST) is a community-based program that promotes healthy eating, well-being, and health equity for diverse, under-resourced urban populations in Los Angeles. The newly developed FEAST Perinatal Support Program (PSP) aims to support individuals through pregnancy and postpartum by providing dietary psychoeducation, skill-building, and social support, with an additional component of grocery gift cards to address food access barriers. This study proposes a pilot trial to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the FEAST PSP in enhancing dietary outcomes, overall health, and socio-cognitive precursors, in pregnant individuals. The study will enroll 40 pregnant adults in a single-arm study who will receive the core PSP with a $15 gift card for healthful fresh food (PSP+giftcard). Pre- and post-intervention assessments will include questionnaires, dietary recalls, physical measurements, and interviews to evaluate program perceptions. Specific aims include evaluating program feasibility and acceptability (i.e., reach, retention, and participant perceptions) and determining preliminary efficacy on changing socio-cognitive and behavioral aspects of diet, self-reported health, and cardiometabolic risk factors. The project aligns with goals of improving health outcomes in Latino families in Southern California and supports FEAST's strategic objectives for improving health and wellness of individuals during pregnancy and throughout the lifespan. The findings will inform program refinement and future NIH grants for rigorous evaluation of the FEAST PSP.