(P20-007-24) Intensive Medical Nutrition Therapy at a Community Clinic Serving Hispanic Immigrants Is Effective for Weight Management

Objectives: Hispanic immigrants in the US are at greater risk for chronic disease due to barriers to healthcare access. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether increasing access to medical nutrition therapy (MNT) impacted chronic disease risk factors for an underserved Hispanic immigrant population.

Methods: A retrospective chart review to collect data on risk factors for chronic disease in patients seen by dietitians for MNT at a free community clinic was conducted (n=89) . Patients at the clinic during the same time period who were not seen by dietitians were selected as control subjects (n=31). Anthropometric measures and disease markers including weight, hemoglobin A1C, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides were compared between patients who received MNT and those who didn’t. ANOVA and post-hoc analyses were conducted to compare changes in anthropometric measures and disease biomarkers among the patients over time.

Results: Patients who had two or more (n=45) MNT appointments had significantly favorable weight change over time compared to patients with one MNT appointment (n=44) or no appointments (n=31) (-0.80 kg ± 9.29, 0.12 kg ± 7.16, 4.77 kg ± 12.76, p< 0.05). Baseline weight was not significantly different among the 3 groups. The average amount of time between weight measurements for patients with two or more MNT appointments was not significantly different from patients who had one appointment or none (11.08 ± 5.89, 9.79 ± 6.96, 11.45 ± 6.85 months, p >0.05). Weight change over time for patients with one MNT appointment was not significantly different from control patients. MNT was associated with a reduction in hemoglobin A1C over time, while control patients had an average increase over time, although this difference was not significant. Changes in the other measures (blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides) were not significantly different among the three groups.

Conclusions: Intensive MNT (more than one appointment) is effective for weight management at a community clinic serving Hispanic patients and has a positive impact on hemoglobin A1C. Further research is needed to determine the impact of MNT on anthropometric measures and biomarkers of chronic disease risk.

Funding Sources: The Community Leaders Program at St. Catherine University