The investigators propose a single-site, open-label, Phase II, community-based randomized clinical explanatory trial to test the efficacy of a medically tailored meal (MTM) interventions for adults with food insecurity and T2DM (Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus). While the efficacy of MTM needs to be established, given the nature of the population served by MTM, it is important to design the study to enhance the external validity/generalizability of the findings as much as possible. The investigators will recruit 200 participants from the referral list of Community Servings, a Boston-based MTM provider, and randomly assign them to MTM (N=100) or usual care + monthly food subsidy (N=100). MTM intervention will consist of 6 months of weekly delivery of 10 ready-to-eat meals (approximately half an individual's weekly food intake), along with telephone-based lifestyle intervention that prepares participants for the post-treatment period. The usual care + food subsidy recipients will receive usual care along with 6 months of a $40/month food subsidy.
Food insecurity, "lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life", affects over 20% of the 30 million Americans with diabetes. Food insecurity is more common in racial/ethnic minorities and those with lower socioeconomic status. Moreover, food insecurity is associated with worse diabetes control and increased complications, even after adjusting for other risk factors. Food insecurity is a major contributor to disparities in diabetes outcomes. Medically tailored meal (MTM) delivery programs are a promising intervention for individuals with diabetes and food insecurity. MTM programs deliver fully prepared food, tailored by a registered dietitian nutritionist to the specific medical needs of the individual, and provide education to help optimize disease self-management. Food insecurity is typically addressed with food subsidies-offering additional financial resources that can be spent on food. While both food subsidies and MTM can increase healthy food access, MTM can help overcome other barriers to diabetes management including lack of time, ability, knowledge, and skills needed to prepare appropriate meals. The use of these programs is often called 'food as medicine', as the purpose is to provide exactly the foods needed to help prevent diabetes complications. MTM are receiving increasing public attention, but there are, as of yet, no full-scale trials to test its effects on diabetes outcomes when compared with other food insecurity interventions. Our research team has developed a medically tailored meal intervention that combines provision of healthy food, tailored to the specific nutrition needs of the individual, with an evidence-based lifestyle intervention that uses the period of meal delivery as springboard to improve diabetes self-management, both while receiving meals and after meal delivery is completed. This study is an explanatory-focused randomized trial to assess a community-based medically tailored meals intervention (n=200). It will be conducted among diverse participants referred for medically tailored meals. Adults with type 2 diabetes, Hemoglobin A1c between 7.0% and 12.0%, and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (≥ 23 kg/m2 for those with Asian ancestry) will be enrolled and randomly assigned to intervention or usual care + food subsidy. The intervention group will receive meal delivery and its attendant lifestyle intervention for 6 months, while the usual care + food subsidy group will receive a $40/month food subsidy, along with usual diabetes care.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
215
weekly home meal delivery; an explanation of the medical tailoring of the meals; and a 6-session telephone lifestyle intervention change program designed to complement the period of meal delivery and prepare for the period after meal delivery with behavioral and skill-building approaches to sustain the benefit of the intervention.
$40/month food subsidy
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Hemoglobin A1c at Month 6
Hemoglobin A1c Level
Time frame: 6 months
Hemoglobin A1c at Month 12
Hemoglobin A1c Level
Time frame: 12 months
Food Insecurity Score at Month 6
Food Insecurity Score. Score ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating greater food insecurity.
Time frame: 6 months
Food Insecurity Score at Month 12
Food Insecurity Score. Score ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating greater food insecurity.
Time frame: 12 months
Health-Related Quality of Life Score as Assessed by PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System)-29 at Month 6
The PROMIS-29 includes seven health related quality of life domains (Physical Functioning, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Social Functioning, and Pain), and the pain domain has two subdomains (interference and intensity). Raw scores, except pain intensity, are transformed using the T-score metric based on the item response theory calibrations in which scores have a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 for the general population in the US. A higher PROMIS T-score implies more of the concept being measured; i.e., a higher PROMIS score on physical function indicates better functioning, whereas a higher score on depression indicates more severe depressive symptoms. These scores are then used to calculate a PROMIS-Preference (PROPr score) (PROPr scores range from -0.022 (worst) to 1.0 (best)).
Time frame: 6 months
Health-Related Quality of Life Score as Assessed by PROMIS-29 at Month 12
The PROMIS-29 includes seven health related quality of life domains (Physical Functioning, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Social Functioning, and Pain), and the pain domain has two subdomains (interference and intensity). Raw scores, except pain intensity, are transformed using the T-score metric based on the item response theory calibrations in which scores have a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 for the general population in the US. A higher PROMIS T-score implies more of the concept being measured; i.e., a higher PROMIS score on physical function indicates better functioning, whereas a higher score on depression indicates more severe depressive symptoms. These scores are then used to calculate a PROMIS-Preference (PROPr score) (PROPr scores range from -0.022 (worst) to 1.0 (best)).
Time frame: 12 months
Diabetes Distress Score as Assessed by PAID (Problem Areas in Diabetes)-11 at Month 6
Score ranges from 11-55 with higher scores indicating greater diabetes distress
Time frame: 6 months
Diabetes Distress Score as Assessed by PAID-11 at Month 12
Score ranges from 11-55 with higher scores indicating greater diabetes distress
Time frame: 12 months
Depressive Symptom Score at Month 6
Depressive Symptoms as assessed by PROMIS SF (Short Form) v1.0 - Depression 4a. Raw scores are transformed using the T-score metric based on the item response theory calibrations in which scores have a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 for the general population in the US. A higher PROMIS T-score implies more of the concept being measured; i.e., a higher PROMIS score on depression indicates more severe depressive symptoms.
Time frame: 6 months
Depressive Symptom Score at Month 12
Depressive Symptoms as assessed by PROMIS SF v1.0 - Depression 4a. Raw scores are transformed using the T-score metric based on the item response theory calibrations in which scores have a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 for the general population in the US. A higher PROMIS T-score implies more of the concept being measured; i.e., a higher PROMIS score on depression indicates more severe depressive symptoms.
Time frame: 12 months
Number of Participants With Self-reported Hypoglycemia at Month 6
Reported hypoglycemia between 0 and 6 months after randomization
Time frame: 6 months
Number of Participants With Self-reported Hypoglycemia at Month 12
Reported hypoglycemia between 6 and 12 months after randomization
Time frame: 12 months
Number of Participants With Self-reported Severe Hypoglycemia at Month 6
Reported severe hypoglycemia between 0 and 6 months after randomization
Time frame: 6 months
Number of Participants With Self-reported Severe Hypoglycemia at Month 12
Reported severe hypoglycemia between 6 and 12 months after randomization
Time frame: 12 months
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