TY - JOUR
T1 - Food to Overcome Outcomes Disparities
T2 - A Randomized Controlled Trial of Food Insecurity Interventions to Improve Cancer Outcomes
AU - Gany, Francesca
AU - Melnic, Irina
AU - Wu, Minlun
AU - Li, Yuelin
AU - Finik, Jackie
AU - Ramirez, Julia
AU - Blinder, Victoria
AU - Kemeny, Margaret
AU - Guevara, Elizabeth
AU - Hwang, Caroline
AU - Leng, Jennifer
N1 - Funding Information:
A three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted using Memorial Sloan Kettering's Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service Food to Overcome Outcomes Disparities (FOOD) pantries, which are colocated in hospital-based cancer clinics and available one time per week to patients who express need. The pantries are supported by grant and institutional funding, donations, and community partnerships. The study's FOOD pantries are located in safety net/community hospitals in medically underserved neighborhoods with high poverty and cancer death rates, serving high numbers of food-insecure patients.
Publisher Copyright:
© American Society of Clinical Oncology.
PY - 2022/6/1
Y1 - 2022/6/1
N2 - PURPOSEFood insecurity is prevalent among low-income immigrant and minority patients with cancer. To our knowledge, this randomized controlled trial is the first to prospectively examine the impact on cancer outcomes of food insecurity interventions, with the goal of informing evidence-based interventions to address food insecurity in patients with cancer.METHODSA three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted among food-insecure (18-item US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module score ≥ 3) patients with cancer (N = 117) at four New York City safety net cancer clinics. Arms included a hospital cancer clinic-based food pantry (arm 1), food voucher plus pantry (arm 2), and home grocery delivery plus pantry (arm 3). Treatment completion (primary outcome) and full appointment attendance were assessed at 6 months. Food security status, depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and quality-of-life scores (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General) were assessed at baseline and at 6 months.RESULTSVoucher plus pantry had the highest treatment completion rate (94.6%), followed by grocery delivery plus pantry (82.5%) and pantry (77.5%; P =.046). Food security scores improved significantly in all arms, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scores improved significantly in the pantry and delivery plus pantry arms.CONCLUSIONOur findings in this preliminary study suggest that voucher plus pantry was the most effective intervention at improving treatment completion, and it met our a priori criterion for a promising intervention (≥ 90%). All interventions demonstrated the potential to improve food security among medically underserved, food-insecure patients with cancer at risk of impaired nutrition status, reduced quality of life, and poorer survival. All patients with cancer should be screened for food insecurity, with evidence-based food insecurity interventions made available.
AB - PURPOSEFood insecurity is prevalent among low-income immigrant and minority patients with cancer. To our knowledge, this randomized controlled trial is the first to prospectively examine the impact on cancer outcomes of food insecurity interventions, with the goal of informing evidence-based interventions to address food insecurity in patients with cancer.METHODSA three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted among food-insecure (18-item US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module score ≥ 3) patients with cancer (N = 117) at four New York City safety net cancer clinics. Arms included a hospital cancer clinic-based food pantry (arm 1), food voucher plus pantry (arm 2), and home grocery delivery plus pantry (arm 3). Treatment completion (primary outcome) and full appointment attendance were assessed at 6 months. Food security status, depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and quality-of-life scores (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General) were assessed at baseline and at 6 months.RESULTSVoucher plus pantry had the highest treatment completion rate (94.6%), followed by grocery delivery plus pantry (82.5%) and pantry (77.5%; P =.046). Food security scores improved significantly in all arms, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scores improved significantly in the pantry and delivery plus pantry arms.CONCLUSIONOur findings in this preliminary study suggest that voucher plus pantry was the most effective intervention at improving treatment completion, and it met our a priori criterion for a promising intervention (≥ 90%). All interventions demonstrated the potential to improve food security among medically underserved, food-insecure patients with cancer at risk of impaired nutrition status, reduced quality of life, and poorer survival. All patients with cancer should be screened for food insecurity, with evidence-based food insecurity interventions made available.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140933585&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1200/JCO.21.02400
DO - 10.1200/JCO.21.02400
M3 - Article
C2 - 35709430
AN - SCOPUS:85140933585
SN - 0732-183X
VL - 2
JO - Journal of Clinical Oncology
JF - Journal of Clinical Oncology
M1 - JCO.21.02400
ER -