Iowa Produce Prescription Program Results Strengthen Food Is Medicine Movement
New findings from the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative's Iowa Produce Prescription Program (IPPP) show participants increased their fruit and vegetable consumption, improved food security and reported high levels of program satisfaction, adding to a growing body of evidence supporting Food Is Medicine approaches.
The IPPP enables healthcare providers to refer eligible patients to receive monthly "prescriptions" to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables upon completing nutrition education. Since launching in 2021, the program has served more than 1,000 individuals and supported the purchase of more than $230,000 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Results from the program showed:
Participants increased fruit and vegetable consumption by more than one-half cup per day on average.
Household food security increased from 23% to 43%.
Nutrition security increased from 58% to 81%.
Seventy-five percent of participants reported using nutrition education content multiple times per week.
Ninety-eight percent of participants reported a positive program experience.
"Food Is Medicine is receiving increased attention nationwide as healthcare organizations, policymakers and researchers explore the impact of integrating healthy food into clinical care," said Iowa Healthiest State Initiative Executive Director, Jami Haberl. "Our results help strengthen the growing body of evidence showing the impact that produce prescriptions can have as one of the three nationally recognized food is medicine interventions."
The evaluation included participants living with diet-related chronic conditions who were referred to the program through healthcare providers. Participants received produce benefits for six months and completed nutrition education through a mobile app-based platform.
"Our program shows what's possible when people have both access to healthy food and the tools to put healthy habits into practice," said Iowa Healthiest State Initiative Healthy Incentives Coordinator, Catie Dysert. "We saw improvements in fruit and vegetable consumption, food security and nutrition security, demonstrating the potential of this approach to support healthier communities."
The findings also showed improvements were sustained among participants who enrolled in multiple cohorts, suggesting healthier eating behaviors continued beyond the initial program period.
As interest in Food Is Medicine initiatives continues to grow across the country, Iowa's results contribute to an expanding body of research examining how increased access to nutritious foods and nutrition education can support individuals managing diet-related chronic conditions.
For more information visit www.iowahealthieststate.com/ippp. The Iowa Produce Prescription Program has been funded by the USDA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, Prairie Meadows, Broadlawns Medical Center, Variety the Children's Charity of Iowa, MolinaCares, and Wellpoint