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Healthy Food First

Healthy Food First

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05048836
Acronym
HFF
Enrollment
525
Registered
2021-09-17
Start date
2021-10-07
Completion date
2024-08-12
Last updated
2025-07-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Diet, Mediterranean, Food Insecurity, Hypertension

Brief summary

Socioeconomic barriers to healthy eating, particularly food insecurity, are a major reason for poor blood pressure control and hypertension complications. Healthy diet patterns have been shown to improve health. Unfortunately, food insecurity makes it difficult for individuals to maintain healthy diet patterns. This pragmatic randomized trial will compare two food insecurity interventions (a healthy food subsidy versus a delivered food box), with or without lifestyle support delivered by community health workers, for 6 versus 12 months duration. Key outcomes include blood pressure, food insecurity, and other patient reported outcomes.

Detailed description

Socioeconomic barriers to healthy eating, particularly food insecurity (insufficient or uncertain access to enough food for an active, healthy life) are a major reason for poor blood pressure control, and hypertension complications. Healthful dietary patterns, such as a Mediterranean (Med)-style diet, improve blood pressure control and reduce cardiovascular risk, risk for other chronic diseases, and premature mortality. However, food insecurity incentivizes individuals away from healthful diet patterns, resulting in wide disparities in diet-related diseases such as hypertension. Though two major ways to address food insecurity are commonly proposed-- providing subsidies for healthy food and home delivery of healthy food boxes--investigators do not know which will have the greater effect. Further, as these interventions cannot be provided indefinitely, investigators need to determine whether adding an intervention to support healthy lifestyle change, such as a culturally-tailored Med-style diet intervention, can lead to improved health even after provision of the food insecurity intervention ends. Thus, the study team proposes to conduct 2x2x2 factorial design randomized trial to compare two food insecurity interventions, with or without a lifestyle support intervention that provides culturally tailored Med-style dietary pattern education, disease self-management support, and navigation to community resources for health related social needs, over 2 different time periods. To realize the vision of food as medicine to promote equity in clinical care, the study team has drawn on an extensive background of previously tested programs to create the novel multi-component interventions that will be tested in this trial. This novel intervention focuses on lowering blood pressure and addressing food insecurity. Specifically, participants will be separately randomized to receive 1) a food subsidy versus home delivery of a healthy food box, and 2) a structured lifestyle support intervention, delivered by community health workers and supervised by a registered dietitian versus usual care for 3) either 6 or 12 months. The proposed study will be conducted in central NC, enrolling 1400 participants with a history of hypertension and food insecurity. Six months after the end of each participant's intervention, investigators will re-assess study outcomes to evaluate for sustained effects.

Interventions

OTHERFood Subsidy, 6 months

Food subsidy for 6 months

OTHERFood Subsidy, 12 months

Food subsidy for 12 months

BEHAVIORALLifestyle Support, 6 months

lifestyle support intervention delivered by community health workers for 6 months

BEHAVIORALLifestyle Support, 12 months

lifestyle support intervention delivered by community health workers for 6 months

OTHERFood Delivery, 6 months

Twice monthly delivery of healthy food for 6 months

OTHERFood Delivery, 12 months

Twice monthly delivery of healthy food for 12 months

Sponsors

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
UNC Health Alliance
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
Duke University
CollaboratorOTHER
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Thus, the investigators propose conducting a 2x2x2 factorial design randomized trial to compare two food insecurity interventions, with or without a lifestyle support intervention that provides culturally tailored Med-style dietary pattern education, disease self-management support, and navigation to community resources for health related social needs, over 2 different time periods.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of hypertension with systolic blood pressure \> 130 mm Hg * Report of food insecurity by 2-item 'Hunger Vital Sign' * English or Spanish speaking * Age ≥ 18 years * Lives within delivery area of intervention services.

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnancy * Malignancy * Advanced kidney disease (estimated creatinine clearance \< 30 mL/min assessed by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Office-based Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 66 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded at office-based healthcare visits
Office-based Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 1212 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded at office-based healthcare visits
Office-based Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 1818 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded at office-based healthcare visits
Office-based Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 66 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded at office-based healthcare visits
Office-based Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 1212 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded at office-based healthcare visits
Office-based Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 1818 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded at office-based healthcare visits

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Ambulatory Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 66 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded outside the healthcare system.
Ambulatory Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 1212 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded outside the healthcare system.
Ambulatory Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 1818 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded outside the healthcare system.
Ambulatory Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 66 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded outside the healthcare system.
Ambulatory Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 1212 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded outside the healthcare system.
Ambulatory Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 1818 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded outside the healthcare system.
Combined (Office-based and Ambulatory) Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 66 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded either inside or outside the healthcare system.
Combined (Office-based and Ambulatory) Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 1212 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded either inside or outside the healthcare system.
Combined (Office-based and Ambulatory) Systolic Blood Pressure at Month 1818 monthsSystolic blood pressure recorded either inside or outside the healthcare system.
Combined (Office-based and Ambulatory) Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 66 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded either inside or outside the healthcare system.
Combined (Office-based and Ambulatory) Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 1212 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded either inside or outside the healthcare system.
Combined (Office-based and Ambulatory) Diastolic Blood Pressure at Month 1818 monthsDiastolic blood pressure recorded either inside or outside the healthcare system.
Food Insecurity Score at Month 66 monthsFood Insecurity Score. Score ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating greater food insecurity.
Food Insecurity Score at Month 1212 monthsFood Insecurity Score. Score ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating greater food insecurity.
Food Insecurity Score at Month 1818 monthsFood Insecurity Score. Score ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating greater food insecurity.
Health-Related Quality of Life Score as assessed by Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-14 at Month 66 monthsThe Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System(PROMIS)-14 includes seven health related quality of life domains (Physical Functioning, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Social Functioning, and Pain), and the pain domain has two subdomains (interference and intensity). Raw scores, except pain intensity, are transformed using the T-score metric based on the item response theory calibrations in which scores have a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 for the general population in the US. A higher PROMIS T-score implies more of the concept being measured; i.e., a higher PROMIS score on physical function indicates better functioning, whereas a higher score on depression indicates more severe depressive symptoms. Will report overall score and scores for each domain. From these data investigators will also calculate a PROMIS-Preference (PROPr score) (PROPr scores range from -0.022 (worst) to 1.0 (best)).
Health-Related Quality of Life Score as assessed by Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-14 at Month 1212 monthsThe Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) -14 includes seven health related quality of life domains (Physical Functioning, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Social Functioning, and Pain), and the pain domain has two subdomains (interference and intensity). Raw scores, except pain intensity, are transformed using the T-score metric based on the item response theory calibrations in which scores have a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 for the general population in the US. A higher PROMIS T-score implies more of the concept being measured; i.e., a higher PROMIS score on physical function indicates better functioning, whereas a higher score on depression indicates more severe depressive symptoms. Will report overall score and scores for each domain. From these data investigators will also calculate a PROMIS-Preference (PROPr score) (PROPr scores range from -0.022 (worst) to 1.0 (best)).
Food/ medication trade-offs Month 1818 monthsSingle item-indicators of trading off medication for food or food for medication. An affirmative response indicates the presence of a trade-off.
Health-Related Quality of Life Score as assessed by Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-14 at Month 1818 monthsThe Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-14 includes seven health related quality of life domains (Physical Functioning, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Social Functioning, and Pain), and the pain domain has two subdomains (interference and intensity). Raw scores, except pain intensity, are transformed using the T-score metric based on the item response theory calibrations in which scores have a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 for the general population in the US. A higher PROMIS T-score implies more of the concept being measured; i.e., a higher PROMIS score on physical function indicates better functioning, whereas a higher score on depression indicates more severe depressive symptoms. Will report overall score and scores for each domain. From these data investigators will also calculate a PROMIS-Preference (PROPr score) (PROPr scores range from -0.022 (worst) to 1.0 (best)).
Diet Quality at Month 66 monthsDiet Quality as assessed by Brief Dietary Assessment Scale. This score is comprised of 3 sections (or subscales) used to assess dietary patterns. Subscales are scored independently. The subscales are: Vegetables, Fruit, Whole Grains, and Beans subscale (range 0 - 20), Drinks, Desserts, Snacks, Eating Out, and Salt subscale (range 0- 20), and Fish, Meat, Poultry, Dairy, and Eggs subscale (range 0-10): Total score equals the sum of the 3 subscales. For subscales and total score, higher scores indicates better diet quality.
Diet Quality at Month 1212 monthsDiet Quality as assessed by Brief Dietary Assessment Scale. This score is comprised of 3 sections (or subscales) used to assess dietary patterns. Subscales are scored independently. The subscales are: Vegetables, Fruit, Whole Grains, and Beans subscale (range 0 - 20), Drinks, Desserts, Snacks, Eating Out, and Salt subscale (range 0- 20), and Fish, Meat, Poultry, Dairy, and Eggs subscale (range 0-10): Total score equals the sum of the 3 subscales. For subscales and total score, higher scores indicates better diet quality.
Diet Quality at Month 1818 monthsDiet Quality as assessed by Brief Dietary Assessment Scale. This score is comprised of 3 sections (or subscales) used to assess dietary patterns. Subscales are scored independently. The subscales are: Vegetables, Fruit, Whole Grains, and Beans subscale (range 0 - 20), Drinks, Desserts, Snacks, Eating Out, and Salt subscale (range 0- 20), and Fish, Meat, Poultry, Dairy, and Eggs subscale (range 0-10): Total score equals the sum of the 3 subscales. For subscales and total score, higher scores indicates better diet quality.
Food/ medication trade-offs at Month 66 monthsSingle item-indicators of trading off medication for food or food for medication. An affirmative response indicates the presence of a trade-off.
Food/ medication trade-offs at Month 1212 monthsSingle item-indicators of trading off medication for food or food for medication. An affirmative response indicates the presence of a trade-off.
Diet self-efficacy at Month 66 monthsDiet Self-Efficacy as assessed by cardiac diet self-efficacy scale. Scores range from 16 to 80 with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy.
Diet self-efficacy at Month 1212 monthsDiet Self-Efficacy as assessed by cardiac diet self-efficacy scale. Scores range from 16 to 80 with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy.
Diet self-efficacy at Month 1818 monthsDiet Self-Efficacy as assessed by cardiac diet self-efficacy scale. Scores range from 16 to 80 with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy.
Physical Activity Levels at Month 1212 monthsAssessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire(Short Form). Higher scores indicate higher levels of physical activity.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026