An apple a day is not enough to relieve depression, but a small experiment at an Iowa health center revealed that healthy food has a positive impact.
The center enrolled 24 patients who had depression and faced food insecurity as shown on a social determinants screening tool. “One of the social determinants is nutrition,” said Dr. Bery Engebretsen, founder and chief visionary at Primary Health Care in Des Moines.
A first plan called for giving patients a weekly box of fresh fruits and vegetables, and a box for each family member in the home. Patients could swing by the center to pick up the food. That did not work for everyone because some patients had no transportation, so community health workers delivered the food. As it turned out, the community health workers became very engaged with the patients and their families, sharing everything from favorite recipes to gardening tips. “People loved it,” Engebretsen said.
Of the 24 patients, 16 showed improved measures of depression using standard testing, five worsened and three were unchanged. Engebretsen is quick to note that this was not a scientific experiment. The center had no control group for comparison purposes, and social interactions with community health workers may have contributed to improvements for some patients. Nonetheless, center staff were happy with results.
The center now has a similar effort, ensuring that obese and overweight children get fresh fruits and vegetables.
The center also has about an acre of land that includes a walking path and a community garden. Staff members do a bit of gardening, but have competition for the space, Engebretsen said. “Most of the gardening is done by the neighbors…we try to make everybody welcome.”