Food as medicine: Medical nutrition therapy can improve health outcomes for people with critical and chronic disease

Public health literature indicates that proper nutrition can improve health outcomes for a variety of conditions including HIV/AIDS. However, it can be difficult for people living with HIV/AIDS and other critical and chronic diseases to access healthy food for many reasons, including poverty and insufficient community resources. Community Servings, a non-profit in Boston, MA, seeks to break the cycle of inadequate nutrition and poor health by providing comprehensive medical nutrition therapy (home-delivered meals, nutrition assessments, counseling and education) to chronically ill patients, including PLWHA. Our research study used a two-fold, mixed-methods design to evaluate the impact of Community Servings' home-delivered meals program from the point-of-view of healthcare workers (physicians, nurse practitioners, case managers) who referred clients to the program in the past year. Data were collected through 14 semi-structured qualitative interviews and 69 surveys. Analysis of survey data revealed 4 predominant themes including the provision of nutritious food to: (a) improve psychosocial well-being; (b) promote healthy weight; (c) provide high-quality, holistic care; and (d) improve adherence to medications and treatments. Analysis of survey data indicate that healthcare workers believe Community Servings' home-delivered meals program: (a) improves clients' health; (b) reduces clients' risk of hospitalization; (c) promotes clients' food security; and (d) improves clients' knowledge of good nutrition. Findings indicate the need for further research in this field, potential expansion of health insurance programs to cover comprehensive medical nutrition therapy, and collaboration among food and nutrition organizations to collect and share data regarding clients' health, food security, and hospitalization rates.