D2-Medically Tailored Meals: an acceptable intervention for adults with type 2 diabetes and food insecurity
Podium 4
2:00 PM - 2:30 PMThu
Podium 4
Food as Medicine
Speakers
Kristy Law
Dietitian & PhD Candidate
The George Institute for Global Health
Introduction: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains a major public health challenge in Australia. Eating a healthy diet is key to diabetes management, however this can be undermined by food insecurity. Medically tailored meals (MTM) interventions aim to mitigate such impacts via a social prescribing approach to facilitate patients’ access to healthy meals. This interim study examined the acceptability of a 26-week MTM intervention (10 meals & ~300g nuts/week home-delivered with 3 dietitian consultations) within Australia’s first MTM randomised controlled trial for adults with T2D and food insecurity. Method: We examined overall acceptability from the participants’ perspective using a convergent mixed-methods design. Acceptability of the MTM intervention was evaluated via the following outcomes: 1) perceived quality and 2) uptake of the intervention, and 3) contextual barriers and enablers influencing uptake. Between January 2023 - December 2024, quantitative (i.e. participant questionnaire and administrative records) and qualitative data (i.e. semi-structured interviews and routine monitoring questions) was collected and analysed using descriptive statistics and a deductive-inductive approach, respectively. Semi-structured interviews (n=18) provided insights on contextual factors influencing intervention uptake. Data was triangulated to gain a comprehensive understanding of acceptability. Results: By 31 December 2024, 47 intervention participants had completed the trial. 74% of participants were positive about the quality of the meals, citing satisfaction with the amount, taste and variety offered. The majority (>70%) of participants consumed an average of ≥8 (of 10) meals per week. 70% of participants found the dietitian consultations useful, which was reflected in the large proportion of participants attending all three sessions (89%). Individual contextual factors (e.g. taste preferences) were the main influences on participants’ uptake of the intervention. Conclusion: MTM interventions are highly acceptable among individuals with T2D and food insecurity in Australia, warranting further investigation as an innovative, patient-centred approach to diabetes care and improving health outcomes.