Maternal Produce Prescription Program - The Idaho Maternal Produce Prescription Program (IMP3) will serve low-income and underserved pregnant women in Southeast Idaho to address community needs. Idaho has experienced significant maternal and infant health challenges, including preventable maternal deaths, postpartum risk, behavioral health, access to care, and education. Trends show that maternal and infant health outcomes in the state are unsteady, with maternal mortality rates increasing nearly 123% between 2019 and 2021. The Idaho Kids Covered 2023 Idaho Maternal and Infant Health Report identifies increasing community outreach and health education as key strategies for improving these outcomes (Idaho Kids Covered, 2023). The purpose of the Idaho Maternal Produce Prescription Program is to design and implement a program to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables for pregnant women and their families in an effort to improve maternal health outcomes. The goals of the program are to increase household food security, improve maternal health and birth outcomes, and provide nutrition education. The IMP3 program, housed at the Institute of Rural Health on the Idaho State University campus, will accomplish its goals by working with healthcare providers and community-based organization partners. Healthcare provider partners will help to identify eligible participants, write produce prescriptions, participate in the program Steering Committee, and track maternal and birth outcomes. Community partners will also help identify eligible partners, assist with nutrition education, and participate in the program Steering Committee. Eligible program participants will receive prepaid produce only debit cards and/or local farmer’s market vouchers to purchase fresh produce, frozen, canned, or dried whole or cut fruits and vegetables without any added sugars, fats, or oils. Program participants and their families will be invited to attend nutrition education sessions in person, virtually, or via recordings during the project period. Nutrition education topics include, but are not limited to, benefits of nutrition, chronic disease prevention, healthy eating habits, meal planning, shopping on a budget, preparing and storing produce, food safety/handling, simple meal preparation, and growing your own produce in portable containers. Other topics may be added depending on the participants' needs. Program staff are expecting to enroll 200 eligible women across the four-year project period, and allow women to participate during the entire project period. The program will seek feedback from all partners and participants to support continuous improvement and sustainability.
