Understanding how community food programs improve family health
Official title: A clinical-community partnership to understand health impacts of a food insecurity intervention
Funded at Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester · NIH-11182467 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how community food programs, working with healthcare, can help families facing food insecurity feel better and stay healthier.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Worcester, United States) |
| Project start | September 4, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $556,541 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NR021522-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11182467 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This project focuses on families, including children (0-21) and adults (21+), who are experiencing food insecurity and participating in specific community-based food interventions linked to healthcare.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not experiencing food insecurity or not participating in the specific MassHealth-supported clinical-community food programs would not directly benefit from this particular research.
What this research studies
This project aims to understand how food insecurity affects families and how healthcare-based food programs can help. Many current programs focus on providing food as a treatment, but this project wants to find more complete, patient-focused ways to prevent health problems related to food insecurity. It will work with community groups and healthcare organizations in Massachusetts to see how these programs improve health for different families. The goal is to identify effective strategies that can be sustained and widely used to reduce health disparities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better, more effective food programs that significantly improve the health and well-being of families experiencing food insecurity.
How similar studies have gone: While many food interventions exist, evidence on their health impacts is mixed, and this project seeks to identify more holistic, patient-centered approaches, suggesting a novel focus.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
Worcester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Byhoff, Elena — Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
- Study coordinator: Byhoff, Elena
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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.