Produce Prescriptions and Veggie-Meter Scores: A Feasibility and Pilot Study of an 8-Week Produce Box Intervention to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Food Security in College Students
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 尚未招募
- 入组人数
- 20
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Change in Skin Carotenoid Score
研究概览
简要总结
The goal of this pilot intervention study is to learn if providing weekly produce boxes helps college students who struggle to afford healthy food. It will also test if this program is practical to run on a college campus. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does receiving free produce boxes increase students' fruit and vegetable intake?
- Does the program improve students' food security and nutrient levels in the skin? Researchers will measure skin carotenoids (a marker of healthy eating) using a non-invasive finger scan called a Veggie Meter to see if the produce boxes improve nutrition biomarkers.
Participants will:
- Receive one free box of fresh fruits and vegetables plus printed nutrition education materials every week for 8 weeks.
- Visit the campus site at the start, week 4 and end of the study [week 8] for a finger scan, measure their weight and to complete surveys.
- Provide feedback on their experience with the produce boxes and their food access.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Na
- 干预模型
- Single Group
- 主要目的
- Health Services Research
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Must be a currently enrolled student at Rutgers Health.
- •Must be 18 years of age or older.
- •Must be able to pick up a produce box weekly at the designated campus distribution site for 8 consecutive weeks.
- •Must provide informed consent to participate in the study, including all data collection time points (Weeks 0, 4, and 8).
排除标准
- •Not a currently enrolled student at Rutgers Health.
- •Less than 18 years of age.
- •Not able to pick up food weekly
- •Not willing to go through study assessments.
研究组 & 干预措施
Produce prescription arm
Participants receive one produce box per week for 8 consecutive weeks plus printed nutrition information. Each box contains approximately $40 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables selected for their high carotenoid content and dependent on seasonal availability. To monitor biological changes and adherence, participants undergo non-invasive skin carotenoid measurements using a Veggie Meter and complete surveys at baseline (Week 0), midpoint (Week 4), and study completion (Week 8).
干预措施: Produce boxes (Other)
结局指标
主要结局
Change in Skin Carotenoid Score
时间窗: Baseline (Week 0) and Study Completion (Week 8)
Skin carotenoid levels are measured using the Veggie Meter, a non-invasive device that utilizes reflection spectroscopy to provide an objective biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake. The Veggie Meter score is measured on a continuous scale ranging from 0 to 800 units. A higher score indicates a higher concentration of carotenoids in the skin, which serves as a proxy for increased consumption of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables. The study will evaluate the change in these scores to determine the impact of the produce box intervention.
次要结局
- Change in Food Insecurity Status(Baseline (Week 0) and Study Completion (Week 8))
- Change in Self-Reported Daily Fruit and Vegetable Intake(Baseline (Week 0) and Study Completion (Week 8))
- Change in Prime Diet Quality Score (PDQS)(Baseline (Week 0) and Study Completion (Week 8))
研究者
Joachim Dzidzor Sackey, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey