Food FARMacia: Helping Children in Food-Insecure Homes Maintain a Healthy Weight

Food FARMacia: Reducing Childhood Obesity in Households with Food Insecurity

NIH-funded research Stanford University · NIH-11186575

This project is testing a mobile food pantry program called Food FARMacia to help young children in families facing food insecurity achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionStanford University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Stanford, United States)
Project IDNIH-11186575 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Many young children, especially those in families struggling to afford enough food, are at risk for obesity. This project introduces a program called Food FARMacia, which is a mobile food pantry connected to pediatric clinics. We want to see if providing healthy food directly through this program can help children develop healthy eating habits and prevent obesity. The project will also explore how food insecurity might contribute to weight gain in children.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are young children, specifically those aged 0-11 years, who live in households experiencing food insecurity.

Not a fit: Patients who do not experience food insecurity or are outside the specified age range may not directly benefit from this particular intervention.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this program could offer a new way for pediatric clinics to help families access healthy food and support children in maintaining a healthy weight.

How similar studies have performed: While professional organizations recommend screening for food insecurity, randomized trials of clinically-based mobile food pantry interventions in pediatric primary care are currently lacking.

Where this research is happening

Stanford, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 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.