Mail-delivered meals plus nutrition education for adults on buprenorphine or methadone

Food Insecurity and Eating Behavior Among Adults Receiving Buprenorphine or Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Pilot Study 2

Not applicable Interventional University of Vermont · NCT07251283

This test will see if adding weekly mail-delivered meals to brief nutrition education helps adults on buprenorphine or methadone reduce household food insecurity over 24 weeks.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment40 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorUniversity of Vermont Academic / other
Locations1 site (Burlington, Vermont)
Trial IDNCT07251283 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Adults receiving methadone or buprenorphine who meet criteria for current food insecurity are randomized to one of two 24-week arms: brief nutritional education (NE) alone or NE plus commercial meal deliveries (NE+MD). NE participants receive education, a list of community food resources, and assistance contacting resources; NE+MD participants receive the same package plus weekly mailed meals sized at six meals per week per household member. Monthly follow-up assessments track household food security using the 18-item USDA Food Security Survey and other measures through Study Week 24. The primary comparison is change in USDA FSS scores from baseline to week 24 between the two arms.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults aged 18 or older who are receiving methadone or buprenorphine maintenance for OUD and meet current food insecurity on the 18-item USDA Food Security Survey are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People who are not currently food insecure, who are pregnant or nursing, who have significant uncontrolled psychiatric or medical illness, or who lack a stable address for meal delivery are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the combined meal-delivery and education approach could meaningfully reduce household food insecurity for people receiving medication for opioid use disorder.

How similar studies have performed: Meal-delivery and food-assistance programs have shown benefit for food insecurity in general populations, but this specific mailed-meal plus education approach is relatively novel for people receiving MOUD and has limited prior randomized data.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* \>18 years old
* receiving methadone or buprenorphine treatment for OUD
* meet criteria for current FI as measured by the 18-item US Household Food Security Survey (FSS; Economic Research Service, USDA, 2012)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Significant psychiatric or medical illness
* Pregnant or nursing

Where this trial is running

Burlington, Vermont

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Food Security
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.