Background

Food insecurity (lack of regular access to adequate and nutritious food) is a growing problem among metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) patients and may affect compliance with dietary recommendations and MBS outcomes. Food prescription programs (FPP) provide access to high quality foods and can help alleviate food insecurity. ObjectiveTo conduct an initial evaluation of FPP usage, satisfaction, and barriers in MBS patients with food insecurity.

Methods

MBS patients screened positive for food insecurity using the Hunger Vital Sign were referred to the FPP between May and October 2022. Use of FFP was evaluated six months after referral with a 26-statement Likert scale survey that assessed ease of access, barriers, and overall satisfaction.

Results

Thirty-three patients (75.8% postoperative, 87.8% female, 21.2% Caucasian, 24.2% African American, 45.4% Hispanic; Mean BMI=41.7 kg/m2) received FPP referral and completed the evaluation survey. Of these 33, 31 (91%) visited the FPP at least once (median 5.5 visits). Most patients reported high-to-very high levels of satisfaction with the FFP location, food quality, and staff helpfulness and did not feel embarrassed or discriminated against when using the FPP. The most oft-cited concerns/barriers related to available hours of operation and parking, amount and variety of food provided, and ability to prepare and store foods.

Conclusions

Overall, this preliminary evaluation suggests that MBS patients with food insecurity will attend and derive benefit from using a FPP. Barriers point to increased access, food provision, and education around meal preparation as ways to further improve FPP use and acceptability.