Helping people with high blood pressure get food and stick to their medicines
Official title: Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial to Reduce Food Insecurity and Improve Adherence in Patients with Hypertension
Funded at Wake Forest University Health Sciences · NIH-11295383 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tries different ways to help people with high blood pressure who do not have enough food get meals and support so they can take their medicines and lower their blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | March 4, 2025 |
| Project end | February 28, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $673,099 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL173064-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11295383 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with uncontrolled hypertension who are experiencing food insecurity and receive care at participating Wake Forest clinics are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People whose blood pressure is already controlled or who are not food insecure are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you have uncontrolled high blood pressure and trouble affording food, you could be randomly assigned to get either information about local food resources or support from a community health worker. If your blood pressure or adherence doesn't improve, the study can provide additional support such as medically-tailored meals. The team will follow your blood pressure readings and medication use over time to see which sequence of supports helps people the most. The work is done through Wake Forest-affiliated clinics serving communities in North Carolina.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make it easier for people with hypertension to get steady food support, take medications as prescribed, and improve blood pressure control.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research shows benefits from resource referrals, community health workers, and medically-tailored meals individually, but using a stepwise, adaptive plan to match people to the right support is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Palakshappa, Deepak — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Palakshappa, Deepak
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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.