This study seeks to evaluate whether a nutrition assistance quality improvement program for patients with cancer and food insecurity receiving active treatment at Pacific Cancer Care will have reductions in food insecurity.
This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness and patient satisfaction with a nutrition assistance quality improvement program in which a randomly selected 30 patients will receive a food voucher with $40.00 each month for 6 months for use in the produce section at local grocery stores in the county. The primary outcome is understanding whether this program is effective at reducing food insecurity among patients being treated for cancer and will provide key insights that may guide program expansion or improvement.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
30
Patients will receive in the intervention group a $40.00 per month voucher for 6 months for use in the produce section of a local grocery store.
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, California, United States
Food Insecurity
Assessed using the validated 2-item Hunger Vital Sign, administered to participants at time of enrollment and again at 6-months post-enrollment. Responses to questions "often" and "sometimes" versus "never" which are considered affirmative responses. One or more affirmative responses indicate food insecurity.
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months
Food Security
Assessed using the validated United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Six Item Food Security Survey will be administered to participants at time of enrollment and again at 6-months post-enrollment. Rabbit MP, Hales LJ, Reed-Jones M. Survey Tools. Accessed October 16, 2024, 2024. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/survey-tools/#six
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
Assessed using the 27-item validated Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) questionnaire. The questionnaire has a scale of 0-108, with higher scores correlating with better quality of life. Cella DF, Tulsky DS, Gray G, et al. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy scale: development and validation of the general measure. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 1993/03// 1993;11(3):570-579. doi:10.1200/jco.1993.11.3.570
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months
Financial Toxicity
Assessed using the 12-item Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity - Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (COST-FACIT) score. Scores range from 0-44 with higher scores correlating with better financial well-being. de Souza JA, Yap BJ, Wroblewski K, et al. Measuring financial toxicity as a clinically relevant patient-reported outcome: The validation of the COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (COST). Cancer. Feb 1 2017;123(3):476-484. doi:10.1002/cncr.30369
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months
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Health-related social needs
Assessed using the validated 13-item the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Health-Related Social Needs Screening Tool from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Each question is scored from 1 to 5, based on the response option, scores are tallied. Totals range from 4 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater health-related social needs.
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months
Satisfaction with the intervention
Assessed using a 5-question tool where patients rated their satisfaction with the quality of intervention components and likelihood to recommend it to others. Scores were summed and higher scores indicated greater satisfaction.
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months
Treatment Adherence
Using a 1-item dichotomous question on treatment adherence. Adherence to cancer treatment was defined as having no missed scheduled clinic or treatment visits, which was abstracted from the electronic health record.
Time frame: Baseline to 6 months