A randomized controlled trial published in Circulation found that medically tailored grocery deliveries improved blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes who have public insurance.
The study was conducted by researchers at Kaiser Permanente, Tufts University’s Food is Medicine Institute, and The George Institute for Global Health within Kaiser Permanente Southern California.
Study design:
- 460 Medicaid-insured patients with persistently elevated blood sugar from 12 medical offices in Southern California
- Recruited Nov 2021 – July 2022 and followed for 6 months
- Randomized to usual care or one of two levels of monthly medically tailored groceries (averaging about $135 or $175)
- The grocery intervention included weekly home deliveries scaled to household size, culturally tailored recipes, and phone-based nutrition counseling
Key findings:
- Blood sugar: Participants who received groceries had an additional 0.40 point reduction in HbA1c over 6 months compared to usual care
- Food security: Odds of food security increased by nearly 215% and nutrition security by 365% among those who received groceries
- Dose: Improvements in blood sugar were similar whether participants received the $135 or $175 level of support
The authors said the results provide RCT-level evidence that integrating Food is Medicine approaches into clinical care can improve both diabetes outcomes and food/nutrition security, particularly for low-income patients facing economic and social barriers. They suggested the findings support incorporating medically tailored grocery programs into Medicaid benefits.