RFU investigators have been awarded funding for a highly collaborative pilot project that will study the feasibility of addressing food insecurity as an integral part of diabetes-related health care.

The goal of the study is to help inform the design of a larger-scale intervention aimed at addressing social inequities that drive the disproportionate burden of diabetes in certain populations and geographic areas of Lake County, Illinois.

Drs. Yvette Castañeda, Amanda Simanek, Kristin Schneider and Melissa Chen — affiliated within the Michael Reese Foundation Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) and the Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC) — are leading the study, which is funded by the Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research.

Dr. Melissa Chen

“We’re really focused on addressing social needs during the healthcare visit,” Dr. Castañeda said. “Healthcare institutions may screen for social needs — food, housing, transportation — but there is interest in moving beyond referring patients to services outside of the clinical setting.”

Dr. Yvette Castañeda

The study will assess whether ICC patients living with diabetes and experiencing food insecurity would consider enrolling in an online food-delivery service operated by an RFU community partner, Adelante Center for Entrepreneurship. It will also assess the feasibility of incorporating enrollment for the service into primary healthcare visits, and using the online platform to link uptake of the service to provision of tailored nutritional counseling, as well as diabetes-related healthcare outcomes among patients in the ICC.

Diabetes prevalence among adults in RFU neighboring communities in ˮ������Ƶ, Waukegan and Beach Park is much higher than other areas of Lake County. Food insecurity is a major risk factor for the development of Type 2 diabetes and makes it hard to manage chronic conditions. Data from the Lake County Health Department shows that food deserts are concentrated in the same areas of the county that have the highest burden of diabetes. 

Dr. Amanda Simanek

The student-driven ICC, which serves uninsured people from nearby communities, uses screening tools to understand the social needs of patients — such as housing, food insecurity and transportation — and connects patients with local organizations that offer resources to help, including overnight shelter through PADS of Lake County. The pilot study explores how best to connect patients to nutritious food, in collaboration with the Adelante Center.

“ICC patients are at increased risk for experiencing unstable housing, unstable work, a lack of primary care — all factors that undermine health,” Dr. Castañeda said. “We’re looking for organizations we can partner with that are already doing this work, whether it’s housing or transportation or food security.”