Grocery Delivery to Promote Healthy Weight Gain Among Low-Income Pregnant Young Women

ABSTRACT Excess weight gain during pregnancy among low income pregnant youth is associated with serious multi- generational morbidity for both the mother and infant. Healthy diet and limiting sugar sweetened beverages during pregnancy promotes healthy weight gain during pregnancy and impacts permanent fetal genetic programming that determines risk for chronic disease among infants. Making healthy diet choices convenient improves quality of diet among youth. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits cover the cost of healthy foods for low income pregnant women, but most young mothers are not able to obtain the food due to logistical barriers such as transportation. Grocery delivery is a well-established and inexpensive service that removes logistical barriers to obtaining healthy food but is underused by those that may need it most -young pregnant women. The objective of this application is to determine the impact of delivering healthy foods during pregnancy on the health of low-income young women and their infants. For this three-armed randomized control trial, subjects are pregnant young women ≤24 years of age who are giving birth for the first time and enrolled in WIC (Arm 1: Usual WIC (Control), Arm 2: Delivery of WIC-approved food only, Arm 3: Delivery of WIC-approved food PLUS unsweetened beverages). Subjects are randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Weight and dietary data will be recorded throughout their pregnancy for all groups. In both experimental groups (Arm 2 & 3), the intervention will last from the first trimester of their pregnancy to the birth of their infant. Arm 2 will receive healthy food delivery every two weeks. Arm 3 will receive healthy food and unsweetened beverage delivery every two weeks. This project will advance the scientific knowledge about the effect of a simple and inexpensive intervention (grocery delivery) on weight gain and dietary behaviors among low-income pregnant young women, which can be applied to policies and practices that affect other vulnerable populations.