Just what the doctor ordered

Yesterday I posted about a new government pilot program launching in Massachusetts intended to encourage healthy eating among food stamp recipients. If you actually followed the link to that article, you might have also noticed a reference to a new idea circulating among health centers in that state in which doctors are writing prescriptions for fresh produce. In an effort to curb the effects of obesity among America's poorest, some clinics are now dispensing $1 farmers' market coupons to their patients.

The New York Times recently reported on this program, pointing out that the concept itself isn't necessarily new. In the 1980s, Massachusetts was the first state to dispense farmers' market coupons to low-income pregnant women to help prevent malnourishment during the most formative years of children's development. There are now similar farmers' market programs for women and children in 36 other states.

While this program seems like a great idea, it isn't going to solve the obesity epidemic singe-handedly. The article points out that while the "veggie vouchers" are likely to produce results in the short term, that they do not have the potential for long-term sustainability. The fear is that people will go back to their old habits when the voucher program ends or in the winter when the farmers' markets are closed. To decrease this risk, the same health centers dispensing the coupons are taking a holistic approach by encouraging families to cut back on unhealthy snacks and increase their physical activity.

Personally, I think every little bit helps. Every year childhood obesity costs $14.1 billion in health expenses like emergency room visits and prescriptions. And left untreated, those children grow up to be obese adults--which cost an additional $147 billion to treat annually. A few dollars at the farmers' market is a drop in the bucket compared to these exorbitant costs. Health clinics in Massachusetts are realizing that we can either pay now or we can pay later. In time we will have a complete picture on how effective this program is, but for now, kudos to the clinics who are taking action against a national epidemic one step at a time.