Improving Food Access for Children's Health
Official title: Addressing Food Insecurity in the Health Care Setting to Promote Health Equity
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-11141175 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program helps families with children who struggle to get enough healthy food by connecting them with nutrition support.
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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $474,757 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK140573-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11141175 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are families with children aged 0-11 who have nutrition-related illnesses, are experiencing food insecurity, and receive Medicaid or SNAP benefits.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not experiencing food insecurity or whose children do not have nutrition-related illnesses may not directly benefit from this specific program.
What this research studies
We are testing a program called I-FRESH to help families with children who have health issues related to nutrition and are experiencing food insecurity. This program will screen families to identify their needs and then connect them with social workers or care navigators. These navigators will discuss available nutrition support programs and help families access them. Our goal is to make it easier for families to get healthy food and improve their children's well-being.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could make it much easier for families to access healthy food, leading to better health and academic outcomes for children.
How similar studies have gone: This program, I-FRESH, is a novel approach being developed and tested to create effective workflows for connecting families to nutrition support.
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.
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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.
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Promesa: Urban gardens and peer nutrition to help people with HIV in the Dominican Republic
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Addressing Food Insecurity in Underserved Communities
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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.