National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference 2024

Johnson, K, Elizer, A, and Franck, K.
Consumption of fruits and vegetables positively impacts health, but intake of fruits and
vegetables is below recommended intake levels. Interventions to make fruits and vegetables
more affordable and accessible, such as produce prescription programs (PRx), have been
successful in improving fruit and vegetable intake. Extension professionals in a rural Tennessee
County collaborated with a federally qualified healthcare center (FQHC) to pilot a PRx to
improve fruit and vegetable intake and food insecurity among FQHC patients with type 2
diabetes. Participants (n=50) received approximately $40 of fresh, frozen, or canned produce
monthly for six months from a local producer, a regional food distributor, and/or food retail
outlets. Most participants reported the PRx helped them have enough food to feed their families
(96%), try new vegetables (79%), and try new fruits (54%). Food insecurity significantly
decreased among participants from pre-to-post-intervention (p < 0.05). This PRx connected
residents with local produce and improved food insecurity among participants. Challenges for
program implementation include University contracting processes, storage for fresh and frozen
produce, and labor required for food distribution.