Understanding the health effects of a food insecurity intervention
Official title: A clinical-community partnership to understand health impacts of a food insecurity intervention
Funded at Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester · NIH-11060343 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how a community program that helps people access healthy food can improve health and reduce medical costs for families facing food insecurity, especially those who need it most.
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 | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $572,796 |
| NIH project number | 1R01NR021522-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11060343 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for participation include individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, particularly those with chronic health conditions.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are food secure and do not face any barriers to accessing nutritious food may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how a community-based intervention addressing food insecurity can impact health outcomes for individuals and families. By partnering with community organizations, the project aims to implement holistic food programs that go beyond just providing food, focusing instead on prevention and overall health improvement. The study will assess the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing chronic diseases and healthcare costs, particularly among vulnerable populations. Patients may be involved in evaluating how these programs can be sustained and improved over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs for individuals facing food insecurity.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in using community-based interventions to address food insecurity, indicating that this approach could be effective.
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
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Connecting high-risk Veterans with food and nutrition support
This project will try ways to help Veterans who struggle to get enough healthy food by linking VA clinics with community food programs and services.
-
Promesa: Urban gardens and peer nutrition to help people with HIV in the Dominican Republic
A unified program uses urban gardening and peer nutrition counseling to help people living with HIV who are food insecure in the Dominican Republic improve their health and HIV outcomes.
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Addressing Food Insecurity in Underserved Communities
A multi-site effort to reduce food insecurity and related health disparities in Black and other under-represented communities by introducing universal screening and community-driven, structural interventions in Florida FQHCs.
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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.
-
Pay-what-you-can cafes and heart health in people with high blood pressure and food insecurity
This project tests whether eating at pay-what-you-can cafes improves blood pressure and heart- disease related outcomes for hypertensive adults who face food insecurity.
-
Addressing Food Insecurity for Youth with Diabetes in Clinical Care
A study tests a social work–led program to screen for social needs like food insecurity and connect families of children with type 1 diabetes to community resources through their health care clinic.
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.