The Medically Tailored Groceries and Mental Health Study

Summary

This randomized controlled trial will test whether providing medically tailored groceries for 6 months can improve depressive symptoms among adults with depression and food insecurity.

The intervention under study is a 6-month, medically tailored grocery program provided by the Boston-based non-profit organization, Community Servings. Food boxes are mailed to participants' homes every two weeks and are designed by a registered dietitian nutritionists to support an individuals' health needs. Participants may also attend optional nutritional counseling sessions.

In this randomized clinical trial, 300 adults with depression and food insecurity will be assigned to one of two groups. The intervention group will receive medically tailored grocery boxes delivered to their home every two weeks for six months (13 boxes total), along with nutritional counseling support. The comparison group will receive usual medical care plus a $30 monthly grocery gift card for six months to be used to purchase any products of their choice.

Participants will be recruited from UMass Memorial Health and health centers associated with Community Care Cooperative (C3) in the greater Worcester area in Massachusetts.The main goal of the study is to determine whether the grocery program reduces symptoms of depression. The study will also examine effects on anxiety, food insecurity, diet quality, and healthcare use.

Conditions

• Depression / Major Depressive Disorder
• Food Insecurity

Interventions

OTHER

Medically Tailored, Home-delivered Groceries

13-box home grocery delivery (1 Welcome Box of pantry and spice staples and 12 grocery boxes) for a six-month intervention period; nutrition and other resources to sustain the benefit of the intervention.

OTHER

Active Comparison Group: Monthly Grocery Gift Card

$30/month food subsidy in the form of gift cards to Amazon or Hannaford grocery stores

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Community Servings

  collaborator OTHER

• Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Massachusetts, Worcester

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Kurt Hager, Phd · UMass Chan Medical School

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-08-31

Primary Completion

2029-08-31

Completion

2029-08-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations