Promesa: Urban gardens and peer nutrition to help people with HIV in the Dominican Republic

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

This project builds on a prior pilot to run a larger, longer trial in the Dominican Republic. It tests whether combining urban gardening with peer nutrition support can improve HIV viral suppression, ART adherence, and retention in care among people with HIV who experience food insecurity. The study will use a cluster randomized design across diverse regions to evaluate efficacy over 18 months, and will explore what helps or hinders implementation and sustainability. Researchers will measure health outcomes, adherence behaviors, and care engagement while examining mediators and contextual factors. The grant supports collaboration between investigators in the US and the Dominican Republic to translate findings into sustainable community interventions.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• University of Massachusetts Amherst
  Hadley, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Derose, Kathryn Pitkin — University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Study coordinator: Derose, Kathryn Pitkin

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

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• 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.

  NIH research University of Massachusetts Amherst · Hadley, United States · NIH-11478533

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About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.