(P24-109-23) Barriers and Facilitators to Uptake of a Mobile Produce Market Designed To Address Food Insecurity

Objectives: We aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to uptake of a monthly free produce market (PM) located at a community health center (CHC) in a predominantly low-income community.

Methods: This qualitative study used the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) framework to achieve the evaluation objective. We conducted semi-structured interviews with PM volunteers (n=5) and users (n=19) who were identified using purposive and convenience sampling, respectively. Interviews were coded, organized, and analyzed deductively using PRISM constructs.

Results: We identified five themes that impact PM use. First, financial need drives the decision to attend. Competing financial demands, such as rent and utilities, as well as insufficient income, made it difficult to purchase healthy food at the supermarket; the PM helped fill this gap. Second, users come to the PM specifically for healthy and natural foods. Users prefer the fresh produce provided at the PM to canned or processed foods found at other food pantries. Third, users feel a connection to the CHC, which increases PM participation. While users did not find a clinician referral to be imperative to attendance, they felt a sense of belonging and connection to the CHC, which increased comfort using the PM. Fourth, social networks increase interest in and usage of the PM. Group settings, such as religious and civic institutions, were noted as places where individuals shared information about the PM. Last, wait times, inclement weather, and lack of communication about PM dates were barriers to attendance. Other individual-level factors, such as chronic illness or impaired mobility, created further access barriers for community members. These members were able to use the PM by relying on friends or family to obtain their food and deliver it to their home.

Conclusions: Individuals with financial need who desired healthy foods, and who felt a connection to the clinic, were likely to attend a free PM at a CHC. Barriers to attendance existed but were ameliorated by relying on social networks to assist with food pick-up. Results provide suggestions for PM improvements and practical implementation strategies for other CHCs interested in developing programs to address food insecurity and nutrition.

Funding Sources: Boston University Maternal & Child Health Center of Excellence