1047-OR: Enhancing A “Food Is Medicine Program” with Coaching from Community Health Workers Shows Significant Improvements in Health Outcomes for People with Diabetes

Introduction and Objective: Food insecurity is a social determinant of health linked to poor diabetes outcomes. This study evaluated the efficacy of adding Community Health Worker (CHW)-led health coaching to Healthy Food Rx, an established “food is medicine” intervention. The objective was to assess how integrating health coaching could further enhance diabetes-related outcomes. Methods: This single-group, pre-post study included 284 participants in 2 rounds with type 2 diabetes recruited by trained CHWs from a community-based organization in Stockton, CA. Over a 6 month period, participants received bi-weekly food boxes and CHW-led monthly health coaching sessions. CHWs administered surveys before and after the program in English, Spanish, or Khmer. Measures included food insecurity, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, self-reported physical and mental health status, and diabetes self-management tasks. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed rank, and McNemar's tests. Results: Food insecurity was 90% at baseline and significantly decreased in both rounds (-19% and -8%, p<0.005). Average daily fruit, vegetable and water consumption, physical activity, and diabetes self-management tasks all significantly improved. Self-reported health status also improved significantly, with about a 50% increase in those reporting good or better mental and physical health after participation. These findings showed greater improvements than with Healthy Food Rx alone. Conclusion: Community-level food is medicine partnerships that include CHWs are effective for addressing social determinants of health and improving diabetes outcomes. CHWs are a cost-effective investment that deliver sustainable health benefits and this approach offers a scalable model for integrating social and clinical interventions to reduce health disparities. Disclosure M. Wilkin: Research Support; Current; Abbott. B. Sun: Research Support; Current; Abbott. S. McClatchey: Employee; Current; Abbott.