Date of Presentation

5-2-2024 12:00 AM

College

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine

Poster Abstract

Introduction: The Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) provides medically tailored meals (MTMs) to individuals in the Philadelphia area with nutritional risk and chronic illness (cancers, renal disease, heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS). Registered dietitians prescribe 3 or 6 months of MTMs depending on risk severity. This study investigates the impact of MTM prescription length on malnutrition risk.

Methods: Demographic, health, and program enrollment data for clients who received ≥2 months of MTMs and completed the intake and follow-up Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) from 2020-2022 were extracted from client records and entered in REDCap. Paired t-tests and chi-square tests were used to assess change in MST scores within the 3-month and 6-month prescription groups and the difference in change between groups.

Results: The 3-month prescription group (n=387; 41%) and 6-month prescription group (n=554; 59%) were similar in sociodemographic variables. The 6-month group had higher prevalence of cancer and malnutrition risk at intake. There was significant decrease in MST scores in both the 3-month (p<.001) and 6-month (p<.001) groups. A greater proportion of clients experienced a decrease in malnutrition risk in the 6-month group (51%) compared to the 3-month group (42%)(p=.019).

Conclusion: Malnutrition risk and cancer were more prevalent in the 6-month prescription group reflecting MANNA’s program criteria. While malnutrition risk dropped significantly in both 3- and 6-month groups, there was a greater reduction observed in the 6-month group, indicating that increasing the length of services may be associated with greater risk reduction.

Keywords

Medically tailored meals, Malnutrition risk, Philadelphia, Malnutrition, Dietary Services

Disciplines

Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition | Health Services Research | Medicine and Health Sciences

Document Type

Poster

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May 2nd, 12:00 AM

The Effect of Medically Tailored Meal Program Length on Malnutrition Risk

Introduction: The Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) provides medically tailored meals (MTMs) to individuals in the Philadelphia area with nutritional risk and chronic illness (cancers, renal disease, heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS). Registered dietitians prescribe 3 or 6 months of MTMs depending on risk severity. This study investigates the impact of MTM prescription length on malnutrition risk.

Methods: Demographic, health, and program enrollment data for clients who received ≥2 months of MTMs and completed the intake and follow-up Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) from 2020-2022 were extracted from client records and entered in REDCap. Paired t-tests and chi-square tests were used to assess change in MST scores within the 3-month and 6-month prescription groups and the difference in change between groups.

Results: The 3-month prescription group (n=387; 41%) and 6-month prescription group (n=554; 59%) were similar in sociodemographic variables. The 6-month group had higher prevalence of cancer and malnutrition risk at intake. There was significant decrease in MST scores in both the 3-month (p<.001) and 6-month (p<.001) groups. A greater proportion of clients experienced a decrease in malnutrition risk in the 6-month group (51%) compared to the 3-month group (42%)(p=.019).

Conclusion: Malnutrition risk and cancer were more prevalent in the 6-month prescription group reflecting MANNA’s program criteria. While malnutrition risk dropped significantly in both 3- and 6-month groups, there was a greater reduction observed in the 6-month group, indicating that increasing the length of services may be associated with greater risk reduction.

 

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