What happens when new moms get food and guidance from community health workers (CHWs) as part of their postpartum care?
Preliminary data show that the Food is the Best Medicine (FBM) Program, an intervention study developed by Ascension Seton and UT Health Houston School of Public Health in Austin is helping new parents in Travis County.
Impact by the numbers
new moms in the study who reported post-partum depression symptoms before the food deliveries started
new moms who reported post-partum depression symptoms after the program ended
participants who said they ate more fruits and vegetables due to FBM
participants who said the program saved them money
The question that researchers wanted to answer was: in a state where maternal deaths are rising along with the rate of severe maternal morbidity, would nutritious food delivered directly to the home lead to improved maternal and infant health outcomes?
The preliminary answer is: Yes.
Full Story
In this partnership with Farmshare Austin, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Austin and Ascension Seton, The Cook’s Nook has provided 14 meal equivalents every week for eight weeks to new moms who signed up to participate. These deliveries included pantry goods and produce grown on Farmshare Austin’s farm, as well as half a dozen ready-to-eat meals by Cultura Cuisine that are convenient, culturally relevant and align with the USDA dietary guidelines, such as Pumpkin Butter Chickpeas on Biryani and Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta, as well as four Cultura Cuisine Elements that are diced fresh vegetable, plant and grain-forward meal kits for the participants to make dishes of their choice like Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice or Tangy Red Split Lentils.
More than halfway through the 8-week program, participants were surveyed to get a sense of what the preliminary data might show. New mothers reported fewer postpartum depression symptoms. Half as many women reported postpartum depression symptoms at the end of the eight weeks. Many of them said not having to worry about buying groceries was a major stress relief during an already stressful time. Many other moms noted that they appreciated the support that the program gave them.
Additionally, only 7 percent of participants were categorized as having high food security at the beginning of the study, but conclusion of the eight-week long intervention, that number grew to 33 percent, according to surveys collected before and after the program. Seventy-four percent of the new moms reported eating more fruits and vegetables. “It’s wonderful to see that, at least preliminarily, we are seeing a significant difference from where these women are at the start of the program and where they are at the end,” The Cook’s Nook’s Client Engagement Manager, Erin Crowley said.
The new parents also reported that they consumed more fiber, more fruits and vegetables, and more salads. Receiving the meals and produce directly to their doors made adherence to the program easier; Chevalier said. The program has had a retention rate of almost 97% since its start. About more than 85 percent of participants said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the meals, and even more said that the FBM Program had a positive impact on their lives during those trying, tender first few months of their child’s life as per the data.
“Feliz, mientras duró hubo menos estrés en el área de gastos en comida.” [while the program lasted, there was less stress in the food expenses area.]
– Program Participant
The Food is the Best Medicine pilot program demonstrates through its nutrition intervention that high-quality, nutrient-dense meals, fresh produce, combined with visits from CHWs in the post partum weeks, is showing a positive impact on new mothers.
“We know that nutrition access is one of the primary non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH), and health outcomes are made worse by food access barriers that are disproportionately chronic within communities of color,” Chevalier said. Offering culturally competent meals encourages participation and helps meet the specific nutritional needs of individuals from various cultural backgrounds, improving overall health outcomes.
It is estimated that the Food as Medicine movement could help reduce healthcare costs by some $13 billion, but that will take a finely tuned network of organizations that can tackle each part of a program like this, from growing produce and making ready-to-eat meals to nutrition intervention, distribution, engagement and tracking the data for intervention outcomes.
The Cook’s Nook is positioned well for these kinds of partnerships, founder Joi Chevalier said, because “we have the experiences, nutrition solutions, distribution, metrics and outcomes alignment that leads to successful partnerships.”
“Postnatal maternal food insecurity is positively correlated with poorer maternal mental health, reduced breastfeeding, and higher infant hospitalization rates”
– Dr. Alexandra van den Berg, Principal Investigator for the FBM program, and Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences and Associate Director of the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.
The Food is the Best Medicine pilot program demonstrates through its nutrition intervention that high-quality, nutrient-dense meals, fresh produce, combined with visits from CHWs in the post partum weeks, is showing a positive impact on new mothers.
“We know that nutrition access is one of the primary non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH), and health outcomes are made worse by food access barriers that are disproportionately chronic within communities of color,” Chevalier said. Offering culturally competent meals encourages participation and helps meet the specific nutritional needs of individuals from various cultural backgrounds, improving overall health outcomes.
It is estimated that the Food as Medicine movement could help reduce healthcare costs by some $13 billion, but that will take a finely tuned network of organizations that can tackle each part of a program like this, from growing produce and making ready-to-eat meals to nutrition intervention, distribution, engagement and tracking the data for intervention outcomes.
The Cook’s Nook is positioned well for these kinds of partnerships, founder Joi Chevalier said, because “we have the experiences, nutrition solutions, distribution, metrics and outcomes alignment that leads to successful partnerships.”
“We’re not just coming in to do this study and then leave. We are based in Austin, we are from Austin, we are neighbors with our partners and the women in this study.”
– Joi Chevalier, Founder and CEO, The Cook’s Nook
As more hospitals and healthcare facilities embrace the Food as Medicine movement, it’s clear that programs like this offer a glimpse of the kind of care that will become standard in coming years. “There’s this collective realization that programs like this will become the norm sooner rather than later,” Crowley said. “It feels like we’re part of the future, and that’s exciting.”
Dr. Elizabeth Polinard, who helps oversee the FBM Program as Practitioner for Perinatal Services at Ascension, saw the benefit of working with The Cook’s Nook early on.
“Once we learned about The Cook’s Nook’s services, we knew it was a good fit. Meeting Joi only confirmed this. I can’t think of a better community partner.”
– Dr. Elizabeth Polinard, FBM Program Supervisor and Co-founder/Chair of the Ascension Texas Council on Racial and Health Equity
The Program by the Numbers
Ascension Seton Foundation’s Victoria Threadgould, who is the Director of Grants, said that if all the pieces come together, this program could expand to other Ascension Seton facilities to support more new parents across Central Texas.
“This partnership has been nothing short of “wonderful.” Every person who is involved has a unique offering of expertise, goods/services, and passion.”
– Victoria Threadgould, Director of Grants, Ascension Seton Foundation
The Food is the Best Medicine Program is philanthropically funded by community supporters, Seton Foundation endowments, family foundation grants, and corporate funding including a $400,000 grant awarded by the American Heart Association to UTHealth Houston. The current Food is the Best Medicine program will continue through October of 2025; further iterations of the program are planned and would include expansion of the number of mothers served, more home visits by CHWs, and increased data collection capacities.
If you are also looking for a partner to change maternal health outcomes as Ascension Seton is doing, reach out to The Cook’s Nook directly to see how we can help.