First national perception survey of Food is Medicine programs shows strong public support

(Press-News.org) Researchers have conducted the first national survey on public awareness and perceptions of food, health, and Food is Medicine programs. A team at the Food is Medicine Institute at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found that nearly 90 percent of Americans surveyed agreed that eating healthy foods is important for preventing conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, and type-2 diabetes.  

The results, published March 12 in the journal Health Affairs, revealed that while under 30% have heard of the Food is Medicine movement, more than half would try a produce prescription, medically tailored grocery, or medically tailored meal program, if offered through their health care providers. Among those with food and nutrition insecurity, interest in participating rises to nearly 70%. 

Additionally, more than two-thirds of those surveyed felt that government programs like Medicare and Medicaid should cover Food is Medicine initiatives, while about half of the participants said that private insurance should also pay. The 24-question survey was completed from February through April 2023 by over 3,000 adults, representing U.S. demographics across sex, race, insurance coverage, household income, education, and health status.  

“This study affirms that the public understands the importance of food in their health, but they don't always have means to access the food they want," said first author Ronit Ridberg, a research assistant professor at the Friedman School. "We were struck by the disconnect we found in clinical settings. Only a quarter of respondents reported that their primary care provider had asked if they had enough food to eat, and fewer than half had conversations about diet during their clinical encounters." 

The common experiences reflected in the surveys are likely due to health care providers not having received nutrition education during their training as well as being burdened for time to get through many topics in a single appointment, said Ridberg. In her conversations with doctors and nurses, she has heard that they can feel uncomfortable asking about food and nutrition insecurity and often don’t know the right resources to give patients.  

Based on the survey, about half of Americans would be more likely to make positive dietary changes if they had regular conversations about their habits with care providers. Over 80% of respondents agreed they would take steps to eat healthier if they knew it would help them feel better, treat a health condition, or reduce their risk for future disease. But many people are facing financial barriers, with 83% of those surveyed reporting the cost of healthy food as the most frequent barrier to its consumption, and over 50% believing that health care should help reimburse or provide for some healthy food. 

After cost, the most common reported hurdles to healthy eating included family traditions that center around unhealthy foods (79%), a lack of healthy options where people go shopping (57%), stores or food pantries that sell healthy foods are too far away (56%), and not knowing what foods are considered healthy (48%). 

“There’s a misconception that many people don’t want to eat nourishing foods, or that they prefer unhealthy products—but our new results highlight that most Americans want to eat better but face specific barriers and challenges,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, senior author on the paper and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School. “Our research shows that there is demand for food-based therapies as part of health care, providing valuable information for state and federal policymakers to build momentum toward more holistic, cost-effective care.”

The researchers are participating in the 2nd Annual Food is Medicine Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill to talk with House and Senate leaders about strengthening the infrastructure for Food is Medicine programs. This could include, for example, increasing nutrition-related training for doctors, supporting cutting-edge research on Food is Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, and expanding programs and coverage through Medicare, Medicaid, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  

Research reported in this article was supported by the Kaiser Permanente East Bay Community Fund and included authors from Harvard University, in addition to authors from the Friedman School. Complete information on authors, methodology, limitations and conflicts of interest is available in the published paper. 

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders. 
 

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