Medicaid groceries for adults with type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes management
Official title: Evaluating a Medicaid policy to provide medically tailored groceries to patients with type 2 diabetes
Funded at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. · NIH-11447304 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A real-world program in California will test whether medically tailored groceries improve diet and metabolic health for adults with type 2 diabetes who use Medicaid.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Canton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 21, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $827,060 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DK146103-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11447304 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with type 2 diabetes who participate in Medicaid and shop at Albertsons stores in the selected California counties.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not participate in the MTG program or who respond poorly to nutrition counseling may see no benefit.
What this research studies
This project partners with California Medicaid and Albertsons to offer weekly medically tailored groceries to adults with type 2 diabetes. Researchers will compare those encouraged to enroll in the MTG program against a nutrition-education control group, using a randomized encouragement design over six months. The study will measure changes in diet quality, metabolic health, and household grocery purchasing behavior. Participants will be adults with type 2 diabetes who are Medicaid beneficiaries and shoppers at Albertsons stores in three California counties.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could improve diabetes control and dietary habits while potentially reducing health care costs for low-income patients.
How similar studies have gone: Prior food-as-medicine programs have shown promise in improving diet and health outcomes in diabetes, but this rigorous randomized design tests real-world effectiveness.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC.
Canton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Petimar, Joshua — Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC.
- Study coordinator: Petimar, Joshua
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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.