Food Access, Value, and Optimization of Resources (FAVORes)

Boston Children's Hospital

Status: Invitation-only

Conditions: Nutrition; Social Determinants of Health; Food Insecurity; Health Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: FAVORes Workshop

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07149350

IRB-P00051793

Details and patient eligibility

About

The main goal of the study is to examine the potential benefits of an educational workshop designed to help and support caregivers of children in families that struggle to get enough healthy food. The main questions are:

• Does the FAVORes workshop impact household food and nutrition security?
• Does the workshop change caregivers' knowledge, beliefs, and skills related to healthy food access?

Participants will:

• Attend four weekly in-person sessions (in English or Spanish)
• Complete short surveys
• Be interviewed after the workshop is completed (optional)

Full description

The FAVORes (Food Access, Value, and Optimization of Resources) study at Boston Children's Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC) aims to help families struggling with healthy food access. Over one in three families with children in Massachusetts face food insecurity. Further, they lack consistent access to nutritious food. Families face challenges such as insufficient knowledge of available resources, financial constraints, time scarcity, and/or language barriers. Social determinants such as food insecurity have adverse consequences on child health outcomes.

The FAVORes workshop is an in-person educational program for caregivers of children at MEHC. It is a 4-session, group coaching workshop led by a Senior Patient Navigator who shares her own experiences with food insecurity and as a health coach. The workshop runs over 4 weeks, 1.5 hours each session, is taught in small groups, and is available in both English and Spanish.

This workshop is designed to empower caregivers of children. It shares simple tips and steps to help with meal planning, having family meals, and eating healthier. The workshop also encourages caregivers to learn from each other in a group setting. Specific topics covered include setting "S.M.A.R.T. goals" (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), understanding community food resources, managing time for healthy eating, and connecting food to overall health and mental well-being. The overall hypothesis for the FAVORes study is that the workshop will lead to meaningful and positive changes for families struggling with food insecurity.

Study Aims:

1. To examine the impact of the workshop on household food and nutrition security.
2. To explore changes in caregivers' knowledge, beliefs, and skills related to healthy food access.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• At least 18 years old
• Proficient in English or Spanish
• Attendance at the 1-hour "Towards Food Equity" Zoom session led by MEHC Social Work

Exclusion criteria

- Inability or anticipated inability to attend scheduled in-person workshop sessions for the duration of the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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40 participants in 1 patient group

FAVORes Workshop

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will attend the FAVORes workshop, consisting of four weekly in-person group coaching sessions (1.5 hours each). Workshops are held at MEHC, led by a patient navigator, and are offered in English or in Spanish.

Treatment:

Behavioral: FAVORes Workshop