Better food access and nutrition for adolescents in low-income urban neighborhoods
Official title: [R01] Prioritizing food systems interventions to reduce adolescents’ nutrition insecurity and malnutrition in low-income settings
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11373822 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tries different food-system changes to help teens in low-income urban areas get affordable, healthy food and reduce both hunger and unhealthy weight.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $20,656 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD113723-02S3 |
| Project ID | NIH-11373822 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adolescents (about 12–20 years old) living in low-income urban neighborhoods, particularly in selected communities in Nairobi, Kenya.
✕Less likely to help
People who live outside the targeted low-income urban areas, older adults, or those not involved in local food systems are unlikely to directly benefit from the specific interventions tested.
What this research studies
This project will work with teenagers in Nairobi's informal and formal settlements to learn what makes it hard to eat well. Researchers will run participatory workshops where adolescents map local food systems, gather surveys and BMI measurements, and collect household- and community-level data. They will combine these real-world data with computer modeling to see which interventions—like market changes, school food programs, or subsidies—might have the biggest impact. The goal is to prioritize practical actions that reflect adolescents' lived experiences and local food environments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide programs and policies that make healthy, affordable foods easier for adolescents to access, lowering both undernutrition and obesity.
How similar studies have gone: Community food programs and school-feeding have improved diets in some places, but combining participatory systems methods with modeling focused on adolescents in informal settlements is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Downs, Shauna — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Downs, Shauna
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.