Meals and grocery support for families of hospitalized children
Food-based Randomized trial for Enhancing Support of Hospitalized children and their families (FRESH)
This project provides meal cards in the hospital and grocery gift cards plus frozen meals after discharge to parents of hospitalized children who struggle to afford food to help them during and after their child’s stay.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11249929 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If my child is admitted, the team may give me cafeteria meal cards while I'm in the hospital and, after discharge, grocery gift cards and frozen meals if my household reports food insecurity. The program is being expanded across the hospital and families will be randomly assigned to receive the support or usual care so researchers can compare outcomes. Staff will collect information on parental hunger, ability to be present during the hospitalization, financial strain, and healthcare use after discharge. Parents helped design the post-discharge support and the team will track feasibility, acceptability, and any effects on return visits.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Parents or caregivers of children admitted to the pediatric hospital who report household food insecurity or who are uninsured or insured by Medicaid are the intended participants.
Not a fit: Families who are already food-secure, who are treated at hospitals not participating in the program, or who do not meet eligibility (for example, certain insurance criteria) may not receive this support.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce parent hunger, help parents stay engaged during their child’s hospital stay, lessen financial strain, and potentially lower urgent post-discharge healthcare use.
How similar studies have performed: A pilot at the same hospital reduced parental hunger from 86% to 16% and similar food-support programs have shown strong feasibility and acceptability, though large randomized results are limited.
Where this research is happening
Cincinnati, United States
- Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr — Cincinnati, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Auger, Katherine Ann Scott — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Auger, Katherine Ann Scott
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 below.