Health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community-based medically tailored meal program
Abstract Background Medically tailored meal (MTM) programs provide home-delivered meals to people living with serious illness and poor nutritional status. Client outcome studies have found evidence of decreased healthcare utilization and cost savings associated with MTM program participation, and in...
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BMC
2024-11-01
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| Series: | BMC Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-024-00955-6 |
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| author | Jessica M. Sautter Jule Anne Henstenburg Adrian Glass Crafford Ian Rowe-Nicholls Victor S. Diaz Kaitlyn Ann Bartholomew Julia S. Evans Maria R. Johnson Jeffrey Zhou Deeksha Ajeya |
| author_facet | Jessica M. Sautter Jule Anne Henstenburg Adrian Glass Crafford Ian Rowe-Nicholls Victor S. Diaz Kaitlyn Ann Bartholomew Julia S. Evans Maria R. Johnson Jeffrey Zhou Deeksha Ajeya |
| author_sort | Jessica M. Sautter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Medically tailored meal (MTM) programs provide home-delivered meals to people living with serious illness and poor nutritional status. Client outcome studies have found evidence of decreased healthcare utilization and cost savings associated with MTM program participation, and inconclusive evidence of change in health measures. The purpose of this study was to use a novel observational framework to describe the client profile and change in health outcomes using routinely collected health and program data from a community-based MTM program at MANNA (Philadelphia, PA). Methods Clients reported their self-rated health and experiences of food insecurity and malnutrition. Healthcare providers reported clients’ body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and hemoglobin A1C. These health outcomes, measured at program intake and 3–6 months later, were linked with administrative data for 1,959 clients who completed at least two months of MTM services in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Results Clients exhibited substantial heterogeneity in demographics and health status at intake. Self-reported malnutrition risk decreased significantly over program duration (p < .001). Nearly one-third of clients with poor health reported improvement over time. Over 60% of clients with obesity experienced stable BMI. Clients with hypertension experienced significant improvements in systolic blood pressure (p < .001). Clients with diabetes and available data (n = 45) demonstrated significant reduction in hemoglobin A1C (p = .005). Conclusion We found evidence that participation in MANNA’s MTM program was associated with favorable health outcomes for clients with serious illness and nutritional risk. Community-based organizations can maximize the completeness of their data by focusing on routinely collected internal data like validated health screeners and surveys. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4d16d268101149df8bfca918b37ee271 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2055-0928 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-4d16d268101149df8bfca918b37ee2712025-08-20T02:13:35ZengBMCBMC Nutrition2055-09282024-11-0110111310.1186/s40795-024-00955-6Health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community-based medically tailored meal programJessica M. Sautter0Jule Anne Henstenburg1Adrian Glass Crafford2Ian Rowe-Nicholls3Victor S. Diaz4Kaitlyn Ann Bartholomew5Julia S. Evans6Maria R. Johnson7Jeffrey Zhou8Deeksha Ajeya9Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Saint Joseph’s UniversityMetropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA)Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA)Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Saint Joseph’s UniversityThomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical CollegeRowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic MedicineThomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical CollegeThomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical CollegeThomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical CollegeDrexel University College of MedicineAbstract Background Medically tailored meal (MTM) programs provide home-delivered meals to people living with serious illness and poor nutritional status. Client outcome studies have found evidence of decreased healthcare utilization and cost savings associated with MTM program participation, and inconclusive evidence of change in health measures. The purpose of this study was to use a novel observational framework to describe the client profile and change in health outcomes using routinely collected health and program data from a community-based MTM program at MANNA (Philadelphia, PA). Methods Clients reported their self-rated health and experiences of food insecurity and malnutrition. Healthcare providers reported clients’ body mass index, systolic blood pressure, and hemoglobin A1C. These health outcomes, measured at program intake and 3–6 months later, were linked with administrative data for 1,959 clients who completed at least two months of MTM services in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Results Clients exhibited substantial heterogeneity in demographics and health status at intake. Self-reported malnutrition risk decreased significantly over program duration (p < .001). Nearly one-third of clients with poor health reported improvement over time. Over 60% of clients with obesity experienced stable BMI. Clients with hypertension experienced significant improvements in systolic blood pressure (p < .001). Clients with diabetes and available data (n = 45) demonstrated significant reduction in hemoglobin A1C (p = .005). Conclusion We found evidence that participation in MANNA’s MTM program was associated with favorable health outcomes for clients with serious illness and nutritional risk. Community-based organizations can maximize the completeness of their data by focusing on routinely collected internal data like validated health screeners and surveys.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-024-00955-6Medically tailored mealsNutrition program evaluationMalnutrition riskFood as medicineCommunity-based organization |
| spellingShingle | Jessica M. Sautter Jule Anne Henstenburg Adrian Glass Crafford Ian Rowe-Nicholls Victor S. Diaz Kaitlyn Ann Bartholomew Julia S. Evans Maria R. Johnson Jeffrey Zhou Deeksha Ajeya Health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community-based medically tailored meal program BMC Nutrition Medically tailored meals Nutrition program evaluation Malnutrition risk Food as medicine Community-based organization |
| title | Health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community-based medically tailored meal program |
| title_full | Health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community-based medically tailored meal program |
| title_fullStr | Health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community-based medically tailored meal program |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community-based medically tailored meal program |
| title_short | Health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community-based medically tailored meal program |
| title_sort | health outcomes reported by healthcare providers and clients of a community based medically tailored meal program |
| topic | Medically tailored meals Nutrition program evaluation Malnutrition risk Food as medicine Community-based organization |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-024-00955-6 |
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