Improving access to healthy food for families in need
Official title: Addressing Food Insecurity in the Health Care Setting to Promote Health Equity
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-10972932 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is helping families with kids who have nutrition-related health issues by connecting them to programs that provide healthy food support, making it easier for them to access and afford nutritious meals.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $474,000 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DK140573-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-10972932 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are families with children aged 0-11 who are experiencing food insecurity and are enrolled in Medicaid or SNAP programs.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not experiencing food insecurity or do not have children in the specified age range may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research aims to address food insecurity among families with children who have nutrition-related illnesses by connecting them with healthy nutrition support programs. The project will implement a program called I-FRESH, which includes screening families for food insecurity and providing tailored support through social workers or care navigators. By integrating nutrition programs into healthcare settings, the research seeks to improve food access and affordability for families receiving Medicaid or SNAP benefits. The approach involves testing effective workflows to ensure families can receive the necessary resources and support.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly improve the nutritional health and overall well-being of children from food-insecure families.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown success in similar approaches that integrate nutrition support into healthcare settings, indicating potential for positive outcomes.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rhee, Kyung E — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Rhee, Kyung E
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Connecting high-risk Veterans with food and nutrition support
This project will try ways to help Veterans who struggle to get enough healthy food by linking VA clinics with community food programs and services.
-
Promesa: Urban gardens and peer nutrition to help people with HIV in the Dominican Republic
A unified program uses urban gardening and peer nutrition counseling to help people living with HIV who are food insecure in the Dominican Republic improve their health and HIV outcomes.
-
Addressing Food Insecurity in Underserved Communities
A multi-site effort to reduce food insecurity and related health disparities in Black and other under-represented communities by introducing universal screening and community-driven, structural interventions in Florida FQHCs.
-
Promesa: Urban gardens and peer nutrition support for people with HIV in the Dominican Republic
This project offers urban gardening and peer-led nutrition support to people living with HIV who face food insecurity in the Dominican Republic to help keep their viral load undetectable and stay on treatment.
-
Pay-what-you-can cafes and heart health in people with high blood pressure and food insecurity
This project tests whether eating at pay-what-you-can cafes improves blood pressure and heart- disease related outcomes for hypertensive adults who face food insecurity.
-
Addressing Food Insecurity for Youth with Diabetes in Clinical Care
A study tests a social work–led program to screen for social needs like food insecurity and connect families of children with type 1 diabetes to community resources through their health care clinic.
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.