Food FARMacia: Helping Children in Food-Insecure Homes Maintain a Healthy Weight
Official title: Food FARMacia: Reducing Childhood Obesity in Households with Food Insecurity
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11186575 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $284,635 |
| NIH project number | 7R01DK134463-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11186575 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young children, specifically those aged 0-11 years, who live in households experiencing food insecurity.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not experience food insecurity or are outside the specified age range may not directly benefit from this particular intervention.
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.
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 gone: 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 University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Woo Baidal, Jennifer Aimee — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Woo Baidal, Jennifer Aimee
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Addressing food insecurity to help prevent childhood obesity
This study looks at how not having enough healthy food can lead to weight problems in kids, and it aims to find ways to help families get better access to nutritious meals, especially in communities that need it most.
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Understanding how where you live and personal factors during pregnancy affect a child’s risk for obesity and metabolic problems
This project looks at how neighborhood conditions and individual factors during pregnancy may influence a child’s risk of obesity and metabolic health as they grow.
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A hybrid mobile-family program to prevent obesity in preschoolers
A neighborhood-friendly program uses in-person meetings plus mobile phone support to help Latino families with 2- to 5-year-olds adopt healthier eating, less screen time, and more activity to prevent obesity.
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Adapting a proven kids’ lifestyle program to boost reach and impact
A study from Stanford aims to spread and improve a well-proven healthy-lifestyle program for children with obesity so more families can use it effectively.
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Strengthening obesity risk screening and referrals in early childhood
A 3-year study in New York aims to make it easier to find and connect families with social supports to prevent obesity from infancy into later childhood.
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Childhood obesity and cardiometabolic health in Latino youth from low-income families
This project follows Mexican American kids from birth through mid-adolescence to understand how weight and heart health develop over time.
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.