Research

Adherence

Produce prescription programs, which provide financial incentives for low-income individuals to purchase fruits and vegetables, significantly improve fruit and vegetable intake, reduce food insecurity, and yield clinically relevant improvements in glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and BMI for adults with poor cardiometabolic health.

If you or your family are struggling to afford fresh produce, look for local 'produce prescription' programs often offered through community health centers or clinics. These programs provide vouchers or cards to buy fruits and vegetables, often for free or at a reduced cost, which can help lower blood pressure and blood sugar while improving overall diet quality.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In this large, multisite evaluation, produce prescriptions were associated with significant improvements in F&V intake, food security, and health status for adults and children, and clinically relevant improvements in glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and BMI for adults with poor cardiometabolic health.
Kurt Hager et al. · Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes · 2023

Why this rating

Large multisite evaluation (N=3881) with robust statistical adjustments, though it is a pre-post observational design rather than a randomized controlled trial.

Source

Impact of Produce Prescriptions on Diet, Food Security, and Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes: A Multisite Evaluation of 9 Produce Prescription Programs in the United States

Kurt Hager et al. · Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes · 2023

cohort · n=3881Cited 118×
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