Building on its work to study effective ways to incorporate healthy food into care for diet-related chronic disease, the American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health for all, today announced grant awards of nearly $1.2 million to 12 scientific researchers as part of its Health Care by Food™ initiative, a pioneering 10-year endeavor to make food is medicine reimbursable, scalable and sustainable.
The research awards will provide support for the creation of detailed clinical trial protocols focused on developing and testing the ways food is medicine interventions, such as produce prescriptions and medically tailored groceries and meals, can effectively treat, manage and prevent chronic diseases that are highly driven by unhealthy diets. An estimated 90% of the $4.5 trillion annual cost of health care in the United States is spent on medical care for diet-related chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity.[1]
"It is particularly important to test food is medicine program features that insurers may find important as part of coverage decisions," said Kevin Volpp, M.D., Ph.D., American Heart Association volunteer, scientific lead for the Health Care by Food initiative and founding director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School. "This initiative is working to address the crisis of chronic disease by incorporating healthy food into health care in ways that could help millions of patients nationwide."
The clinical trial planning grants provide direct costs for a one-year project period that allows an investigator time to plan, design and prepare the documentation necessary to compete for federal or other funding to implement a large-scale clinical trial. The grants permit early peer review of the rationale and design of the proposed clinical trial and provide support for the development of detailed protocols and procedures needed to successfully launch a high-quality trial.
The Association has funded 23 small scale clinical trials currently underway to systematically strengthen food is medicine research by emphasizing human-centered design and behavioral science to support program engagement, increase retention and adherence and improve outcomes. Results from these trials are expected before the end of the year.
"We're gaining valuable insights into how people with chronic conditions access different food is medicine approaches and what types of programs are most effective in treating their conditions," Volpp said. "From there, we'll measure health impact to identify the approaches that are most clinically effective and cost-effective."
Additional larger scale randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the most effective food is medicine interventions for specific populations. The results will inform insurance coverage decisions for certain clinical indications. At the end of the grant period, researchers will deliver a rigorous and highly competitive proposal for funding from a government agency, industry or foundation.
The Association's Health Care by Food initiative is investing in research, advocacy and education to integrate cost-effective food is medicine approaches into the care for people with chronic disease or at high risk, with the goal to better treat, manage and prevent disease.
The initiative, which began in 2022, is supported by anchor funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and contributions from inaugural collaborator Kroger, with additional support from Builders Initiative; Elevance Health; Instacart; Kaiser Permanente; Lyda Hill Philanthropies; United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey; and the Walmart Foundation.
