Laura Plencner, MD, Hospital Medicine, and Jennifer Scheurich, PhD, Developmental & Behavioral Health, both received a one-year, $33,000 grant from the Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition. Both grants cover a project period of March 1, 2026-Feb. 28, 2027.
Dr. Plencner’s award is being used for her study “Impact of Produce Prescriptions on Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Child Health.”
Many children do not meet daily dietary recommendations. Produce prescription programs are becoming more common among pediatric patients to help increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Produce prescription programs eliminate potential barriers like affordability and accessibility by enabling medical providers to prescribe fruits and vegetables. There is currently a lack of research on pediatric patients enrolled in produce prescription programs which makes it difficult to determine whether the program helps decrease the likelihood of obesity and increase produce consumption in all family members.
For 12 weeks, this study will provide 35 children between the ages of 2 to 8 with $20 vouchers for produce. These vouchers can be used at local market coolers called Kanbe’s Markets located in Kansas City convenience stores.
Before and after the program, both the child participant and their parents will undergo skin carotenoid level testing which shows fruit and vegetable intake. The participant will also undergo two 24-hour child diet recalls and a behavioral curriculum analyzing what percentage of the food was eaten to determine the diet quality and calculate a Healthy Eating Index score.
Dr. Plencner hypothesizes that children enrolled in the produce prescription program will see an increase in diet quality and their parents will exhibit an increase in skin carotenoid content.
“Helping children eat more fruits and vegetables can have long term impacts on their health throughout their lifetime,” said Dr. Plencner. “The goal of this study is to measure the impact of a produce prescription program aimed at increasing access to fresh produce and build evidence to support this type of program in the long term.”
Heather Gibbs, PhD, University of Kansas Medical Center, serves as a co-investigator.
Dr. Scheurich’s award is being used for her collaborative study with Robert Gibler, PhD, University of Kansas Medical Center, Center for Children’s Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition, titled “Examining the Role of Body Composition in the Treatment of Pediatric High-Impact Chronic Pain.”
High-impact chronic pain affects approximately 5-8% of youth with persistent pain and impairs daily functioning, academic engagement and quality of life. Although intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) programs, which include physical and psychological interventions, have demonstrated benefits for children, clinical outcomes vary across patients. Emerging research suggests that body composition and weight status may influence treatment response.
This pilot study will examine changes in body composition among patients enrolled in Children’s Mercy’s Rehabilitation for Amplified Pain Syndromes (RAPS) Program. Using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, the research team will measure changes in fat mass, fat-free mass, muscle mass and bone density over the course of IIPT. The study will evaluate whether changes in body composition are associated with improvements in pain, physical functioning and other clinical outcomes, as well as whether weight predicts treatment response.
This work aims to advance understanding of how and why IIPT helps some patients more than others with the hope of informing future research on treatment response mechanisms and ultimately advancing precision medicine for pediatric patients with chronic pain.
“While IIPT is generally effective for children with severe chronic pain, we know very little about the biological processes that support recovery,” said Dr. Scheurich. “By examining objective physiological markers, this research moves the field toward a more comprehensive, mechanism-informed understanding of treatment response and, ultimately, more tailored and effective care for children with chronic pain.”
Mark Connelly, PhD, Developmental & Behavioral Health, and Ann Davis, PhD, MPH, ABPP, University of Kansas Medical Center, Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition, will serve as mentors. Co-investigators include Robin Shook, PhD, Emily Cramer, PhD, Dustin Wallace, PhD and Cara Hoffart, DO.