8/12/2024 –
UD pilots fruit, vegetable prescription program at Wilmington’s Horizon House
Before attending nutrition education counseling at Horizon House in Wilmington, Natisha Clanton ate fast food almost daily.
“I hated vegetables,” she said.
Felicia Lewis felt the same way.
“I didn’t like asparagus, squash or zucchini,” Lewis said. “But really, I had never tried them.”
Both participate in the University of Delaware’s fruit and vegetable prescription (FVRx) program, a proof of concept study conducted at Horizon House, which delivers integrated, community-based services to adults with mental health, developmental and intellectual disabilities and those experiencing homelessness. The FVRx program pairs nutrition education with the direct provision of fresh fruits and vegetables each week to individuals receiving services at Horizon House who have a chronic disease or are at risk for food insecurity. Led by UD Nutrition Clinic Director Donna Paulhamus and Shannon Robson, associate professor of health behavior and nutrition sciences in the College of Health Sciences, the study aims to address food insecurity as a social determinant of health…
