University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researchers have received a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health to conduct a diabetes study.
UAMS said the first-of-its-kind study will test whether deliveries of healthy food, along with recipes and education materials, can help reduce type 2 diabetes among food-insecure rural Arkansans.
The study aims to recruit 400 participants from clinics serving rural populations. Half will be assigned to home food delivery intervention plus standard care and half will be assigned to standard care alone, and followed for one year.
Chris Long, Ph.D., is the principal investigator. He is also senior director of research and evaluation in the Office of Community Health & Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus and an assistant professor.
“We will test this approach to find out whether home delivery helps rural participants stay on track with a healthier diet and whether it is scalable, sustainable and cost-effective,” Lauren Haggard-Duff, one of four co-investigators, said in a news release. She is based at the Northwest Regional Campus and is a clinical assistant professor.
Long added that past studies have shown a strong link between type 2 diabetes, food insecurity and where people live.
“Very low food security is associated with a more than 100% increase in type 2 diabetes compared with adults in homes with plenty of food,” he said in the release.
The other co-investigators are Emily English, Nalin Payakachat and James Selig.
This research is also supported by the UAMS Translational Research Institute and another NIH grant.
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