Recipe4Health program for weight and heart health
Official title: Effectiveness of Recipe4Health on Obesity and Cardiometabolic Health: A natural experiment
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11290301 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares Medi‑Cal patients who get Recipe4Health’s produce prescriptions and health coaching with similar patients who don’t, to see if it helps weight and heart-related health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2024 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $713,083 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK140186-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11290301 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Medi‑Cal beneficiaries in California who are eligible for or enrolled in Recipe4Health services such as produce prescriptions and health coaching.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not enrolled in Medi‑Cal, live outside the program areas, or are not offered Recipe4Health services are unlikely to be directly included or benefit from this project.
What this research studies
From your perspective, this project uses California’s new CalAIM Medicaid changes as a natural experiment to compare people enrolled in Recipe4Health (produce prescriptions, group and individual health coaching, and care coordination) with similar Medi‑Cal patients who do not get the program. The team will use clinic records, Medicaid data, and active follow-up to track body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, and other cardiometabolic markers over time. Data collection aims to start right away so follow-up can be completed before the CalAIM waiver ends in 2026. The goal is to understand whether providing medically supportive food plus coaching through Medicaid is linked to better nutrition and heart health for patients like you.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show that providing produce and coaching through Medicaid helps people lose weight and improve diabetes and heart‑related measures.
How similar studies have gone: Related Food‑is‑Medicine programs and pilot trials have shown promising improvements in diet and some metabolic measures, but large real‑world Medicaid evaluations like this are still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rosas, Lisa Goldman — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Rosas, Lisa Goldman
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Childhood obesity and cardiometabolic health in Latino youth from low-income families
This project follows Mexican American kids from birth through mid-adolescence to understand how weight and heart health develop over time.
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Comparing prescription weight-loss medicines for heart and metabolic health
This project compares different prescription weight-loss medicines to see how they affect heart health, diabetes-related outcomes, and use of health care among adults.
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Understanding Childhood Obesity and Heart Health in Mexican American Youth
This project looks at existing information to understand why obesity and heart-related health issues are common in Mexican American children and teenagers from low-income families.
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Evaluating the impact of a nutrition program on obesity and heart health
This study is looking at how a cooking program called Recipe4Health can help people on Medi-Cal in California who are dealing with obesity and heart health issues, by comparing those who join the program to others in the same community who don’t, all while focusing on making healthy food more accessible.
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Comparing the effectiveness of weight loss medications for heart and metabolic health
This study looks at how various weight loss medications can help improve heart and overall health in adults with obesity, so doctors can better choose the right options for their patients trying to manage their weight and related health concerns.
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Training new researchers to help reduce obesity and improve heart health
This study is all about finding new ways to help people manage their weight and improve their heart and metabolic health, focusing on what really works for keeping weight off and making healthy lifestyle changes.
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.