“I Felt Like I Had Something I Could Do About It”: Pediatric Clinician Experiences With a Food Insecurity-Focused Produce Prescription Program

Abstract

Efforts to address food insecurity (FI) in pediatric clinics have increased over the last decade, particularly after a groundbreaking 2015 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement supporting universal routine screening and intervening. Produce prescription programs are a novel strategy addressing FI. Limited data exist on effectiveness and feasibility in pediatric clinical settings. This study explored clinician experiences after enrolling patients who completed a produce prescription program in an urban primary-care clinic in Washington, DC. One year after program completion, the experiences of 11 clinicians were explored through qualitative interviews and coded using thematic content analysis. Identified themes explored changes in clinician knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Clinicians expressed that the program offered a tangible resource to address FI, building trust and strengthening their sense of self-efficacy in addressing families’ concerns. Incorporation of a produce prescription intervention to address FI was feasible and well accepted by pediatric primary-care clinicians.