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Food FARMacia: Reducing Childhood Obesity in Households with Food Insecurity

Award Number: R01DK134463
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/15/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2027

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Food FARMacia: Reducing Childhood Obesity in Households with Food Insecurity - ABSTRACT Childhood obesity remains highly prevalent and originates early in life. Efficacious early life interventions to prevent childhood obesity are lacking, particularly among populations most burdened by childhood obesity. Food insecurity - defined as lack of enough food for an active, healthy life – may play key upstream roles in etiologies of obesity through establishment of unhealthy dietary patterns and stress-related metabolic perturbations. Household food insecurity during the first 24 months of life is a risk factor for later childhood obesity. Professional organizations recommend integration of household food insecurity screening into routine pediatric primary care. Yet, a critical gap exists in identification of efficacious clinical interventions to reduce food insecurity. Another gap exists in understanding relationships between food insecurity and etiologies of obesity. Food FARMacia is a clinically based mobile food pantry intervention developed to address the high prevalence of food insecurity among pediatric patients. No randomized trials of a clinically-based mobile food pantry intervention in pediatric primary care exist. To understand the role of food insecurity in etiologies of childhood obesity, efficacious interventions to reduce food insecurity are needed. To test efficacy of the Food FARMacia intervention in a randomized clinical trial (RCT), feasibility of RCT procedures must first be established. The overall goal of this study is to perform a Phase IIb pilot and feasibility RCT of the Food FARMacia clinically based mobile food pantry intervention to promote healthy weight during infancy compared to an attention control over 6 months. We will recruit 70 families (randomized n = 35 infant-parent dyads per arm) with an infant age 6 to <18 months and food insecurity identified on routine electronic health record screening at pediatric primary care visits in our multi-site urban academic health care system. We will examine feasibility and acceptability of the RCT procedures and intervention components using quantitative and qualitative research methods. We will estimate the effects of the intervention on infant weight characteristics over time to inform a full-scale trial. We will explore potential mediators of intervention effects, including household food insecurity. Our multidisciplinary team has expertise in childhood obesity, nutrition, community-engaged, and population health research; clinical trials; qualitative research; and biostatistics. Results will immediately inform a full-scale Phase III RCT to test the efficacy of the Food FARMacia intervention on preventing childhood obesity. Results of a full-scale trial will also provide new information about relationships of household food insecurity during infancy and etiologies of obesity. If successful, this research will accelerate identification of scalable, efficacious clinical interventions to transform clinical care for reduction of food insecurity and promotion of healthy infant growth.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY	450 JANE STANFORD WAY	STANFORD	CA	94305	SANTA CLARA	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	3	1/9/2026	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $284,635 )
2025	2025	THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY	450 JANE STANFORD WAY	STANFORD	CA	94305	SANTA CLARA	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	001	3	7/10/2025	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$284,635
2025	2024	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	002	2	8/8/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2025	2024	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	2	7/9/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2025	2024	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	003	2	8/27/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $284,635

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $315,840 )
2024	2024	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	2	5/10/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$315,840
														Subtotal = $315,840

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $329,000 )
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	001	1	6/9/2023	NEW	$0
2023	2023	TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE	630 W 168TH ST FL 4	NEW YORK	NY	10032	NEW YORK	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	1	5/12/2023	NEW	$329,000
														Subtotal = $329,000

Grand Total All Awards = $929,475

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Food FARMacia: Reducing Childhood Obesity in Households with Food Insecurity

Award Number: R01DK134463

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/15/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2027

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