The purpose of the study is to assess if the Fresh Connect food prescription (Fresh Connect Food Rx) program that provides consistent access to healthy fresh produce through purchases at the grocery store plus nutrition education impacts gestational weight gain, other pregnancy and birth outcomes, and food and nutrition security in low-income, ethnically diverse, at-risk women residing in Houston, Texas. Enrollment of participants will begin in pregnancy at the time of the first prenatal visit (as long as the first visit occurs before the end of the first trimester); each participant will be followed until 60 days post-partum (up to 11 months follow-up per participant).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
620
Fresh Connect, a Food as Medicine product of the non-profit organization About Fresh, Inc., consists of a pre paid, programmable debit card, a cloud-based cardholder success platform, and an analytic engine designed to illuminate the healthcare value of improved food access and nutritional security. This arm receives: * About Fresh Food Rx debit card ($100 per month from enrollment until 2 months post-partum) * Texts for all cardholders per month (1-2 outbound texts) * Welcome call from About Fresh cardholder engagement team * 1 text - notification that Fresh Connect funds have been reloaded * As-needed program updates (e.g. new retailers), inactivity outreach * Additional texts that would be ad hocs: texts with food experiences (cooking videos), produce how-tos, and fun engagement; and satisfaction surveys - e.g. feedback on the Fresh Connect program, feedback on retailers, satisfaction with cardholder success, etc.
Enhanced engagement involves additional outbound texts per month and additional ad hoc bi-monthly or quarterly texts, as well as tailored reminder text to use funds before the end of the month.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, Texas, United States
RECRUITINGAbsolute gestational weight gain (GWG) in pounds
Time frame: From the start of the first trimester of pregnancy to the end of the first trimester of pregnancy (3 months)
Absolute gestational weight gain (GWG) in pounds
Time frame: From the start of the second trimester of pregnancy to the end of the second trimester of pregnancy (3 months)
Absolute gestational weight gain (GWG) in pounds
Time frame: From the start of the third trimester of pregnancy to the end of the third trimester of pregnancy (3 months)
Excess gestational weight gain (EGWG) in pounds
Time frame: From the start of the first trimester of pregnancy to the end of the first trimester of pregnancy (3 months)
Excess gestational weight gain (EGWG) in pounds
Time frame: From the start of the second trimester of pregnancy to the end of the second trimester of pregnancy (3 months)
Excess gestational weight gain (EGWG) in pounds
Time frame: From the start of the third trimester of pregnancy to the end of the third trimester of pregnancy (3 months)
Number of participants diagnosed with pregnancy-induced hypertension
Time frame: From the time of enrollment until the time of birth (up to 9 months)
Number of participants diagnosed with gestational diabetes
Time frame: From the time of enrollment until the time of birth (up to 9 months)
Number of participants with pre-term birth (<37 weeks)
Time frame: at the time of birth
Infant birth weight
Time frame: at the time of birth
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