About the Study

Delta GREENS team members wearing Delta GREENS shirts standing on a farm field as a group

A Community-Driven Approach to Food is Medicine

Delta GREENS brings together the Delta community, students, farmers, healthcare partners, and local organizations to deliver to deliver Food Is Medicine programming shaped by community needs and grounded in science.

Image of activities the community supports, such as implementing the Food Is Medicine intervention, leading the Delta GREENS Food Policy Council and two of the fellows, and implementing the research study

Community at the Center of the Study

The people of the Mississippi Delta don't just participate in Delta GREENS. They shape it. From formative research to study implementation to growing the produce, this is their work.

Meet the Delta GREENS Food Policy Council

Meet the Delta GREENS Fellows

Meet our Partners and Collaborators

 

Study Aims

  • Aim 1 (Design) focuses on co-creating a Food is Medicine intervention that strengthens the local food economy while delivering community-centered programming.
  • Aim 2 (Test) evaluates whether a full year of Food Is Medicine programming can improve health for rural adults managing obesity and diabetes.
  • Aim 3 (Share) disseminates findings and lessons learned for broader impact.
Image of the three aims for Delta Greens: Design intervention, test the intervention, share findings and lessons learned

The Study at a Glance image describes the setting, primary outcome, intervention, enrollment, eligibility, and participant experience

Study at a Glance

The infographic provides a snapshot of the Delta GREENS study:

  • Setting: Six Delta Health Center clinics across Bolivar, Washington, and Sunflower counties. 
  • Enrollment: 300 participants, individually randomized 1:1 to either the intervention arm or a delayed intervention control arm (150 per group)
  • Primary Outcome: Change in hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), a blood test that captures average blood sugar control over the past 2–3 months, used to diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes.
  • Eligibility: Delta Health Center patients age 21 or older, with a BMI greater than 25 and an HbA1c between 5.7% and 8.5%
  • Intervention: A year-long program providing $100/month in fresh produce (local and non-local), video-based nutrition and cooking education, and a community-developed cookbook.
  • Participant Experience: Interviews are conducted with a subset of participants to understand their lived experience.

Read about the participant experience

What Delta GREENS Measures

As shown in the figure Delta GREENS tracks a range of outcomes across four key areas:

  • Cardiometabolic Health: Blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, lipid panel, and BMI
  • Diet: Fruit and vegetable intake
  • Food and Nutrition Security: Household-level access to adequate food and nutrition
  • Healthcare Utilization: How participants engage with the healthcare system over time

The study also examines additional outcomes beyond those shown here.

View Clinical trial registration

Key outcomes assessed for Delta GREENS: 1. BMI 2. Lipid panel 3. Blood pressure 4. A1C 5. Healthcare utilization

Diagram of the multi-sector food policy council connecting food systems, health, healthcare ad governance

Image credit: Julia Appel, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University. 

How Food is Medicine May Create Lasting Change

The figure illustrates how Delta GREENS creates lasting change by working across four systems:

  • Community: Locally-led efforts build trust and sustain engagement with Food Is Medicine programming
  • Food Systems: Expanded access to fresh fruits and vegetables shifts what participants eat
  • Healthcare: Clinical integration turns short-term programming into standard of care
  • Policy: Supportive policies turn promising programs into durable infrastructure

When these systems reinforce each other, short-term programs become long-term change.