WASHINGTON 鈥� Food insecurity 鈥� or the state of being without reliable access to affordable and nutritious food 鈥� affects Americans, and can lead to a number of negative health outcomes, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity and other chronic illnesses.
In the U.S., food insecurity is concentrated in households with children, according to , and for pregnant women, the consequences of meal uncertainty stretch beyond mom鈥檚 health. Inconsistent food access can lead to low birth weight and a greater risk for birth defects, such as cleft palate and spina bifida.
But a relatively new program in D.C. is hoping that several months of healthy, hearty meals can make a big difference in the health of young families.
Last summer the nonprofit ramped up its collaborative effort with to deliver nutritious, chef-prepared meals to 340 expectant mothers and their families enrolled in AmeriHealth鈥檚 Bright Start maternal health program.
鈥淚f you are struggling to make ends meet, if there aren鈥檛 healthy food options in your neighborhood 鈥� that鈥檚 just an additional barrier that a new mother or pregnant woman would have in taking care of herself and taking care of her family,鈥� said Carrie Stoltzfus, executive director of Food & Friends, which for the last 30 years has been delivering free, nutritionally specific meals to local residents facing life-challenging health conditions.
鈥淓ach meal plan is designed for the needs of what the mom is living with 鈥� and we鈥檙e bringing food to them at home.鈥�
Stoltzfus said the program鈥檚 meal recipients are mostly women living in D.C.鈥檚 Wards 7 and 8, an area considered a food desert since a total of three grocery stores service more than residents. Six days worth of dietitian-tailored meals, with enough food to feed the expectant mother and her children, are delivered throughout the duration of the pregnancy and eight weeks past delivery.
Participants also receive nutrition counseling throughout the program.
鈥淲e really want to set people up to succeed,鈥� Stoltzfus said.
鈥淲e are providing the access to food and the knowledge about food hand-in-hand. Everything that they learn from their conversations with [the dietitians] is knowledge that they can continue to use in their lives even beyond when the meals end.鈥�
Stoltzfus said the program is designed to meet people where they spend most of their time 鈥� at home, not at the doctor鈥檚 office. And she thinks it could serve as a model for other community health initiatives.
鈥淲e鈥檝e known that [delivering food to a person鈥檚 home] works for a really long time,鈥� Stoltzfus said.
鈥淚f we address a need that they鈥檙e facing at home, that is going to have a health impact and a cost impact and gives these women a healthier pregnancy, a better start to their child鈥檚 life.鈥�
