# Food Prescriptions to Promote Affordable Diets that Meet RDAs Among Multi-Generational Latino Households

> **NIH NIH P50** · CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LOS ANGELES · 2022 · $749,474

## Abstract

Latino families are disproportionately affected by obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease, and dyslipidemia. Diet is a major contributing factor and poor diet is heavily driven by environmental
cues, including large restaurant portions and aggressive marketing of low-nutrient, highly processed and high
sugar foods. This is especially true in low-income neighborhoods where marketing and availability of unhealthy
foods is more salient. Furthermore, the marketing, discounts and promotional strategies in supermarkets often
nudge shoppers to buy low-nutrient discretionary foods or buy in excessive quantities. One promising approach
to address these nutritional, social, and economic contributors to disparities in chronic disease risk is the concept
of food prescriptions, which includes menu planning and home-delivery of affordable and nutritious food. This
approach is premised on modifying contextual cues in the home environment rather than relying on self-
regulatory control. Project 3 will test the effects of a culturally sensitive meal planning and affordable grocery
delivery service in a randomized controlled trial to improve diet quality, weight control and chronic disease risk
among multi-generational Latino households. Food prescriptions will meet the EAT-Lancet sustainability
guidelines and achieve at least 90% of the recommended dietary allowances for 23 critical nutrients for all family
members, at a cost not exceeding $680/month, the current CalFresh (California’s SNAP) budget for a family of
four. We will include tailored directions on portion size based on age, sex, activity level and weight goals. We
will develop and validate our menus and test logistics with focus groups of Latino adults with overweight or
obesity. Thereafter, we will enroll 180 Latino households of 3-5 people (n=720) from Kaiser Permanente
members with at least two individuals with overweight or obesity, and at least 1 child aged 5-10 years of age, to
participate in a 6-month randomized trial with a wait-list cross-over design. Based on the weekly menu plan, a
grocery list will be generated, and items delivered to the home. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure,
dietary intake and blood samples for HbA1c, liver enzymes and lipids will be collected at baseline, 6, and 12
months. Each family will be expected to contribute $100/week, with the amount above this subsidized as an
incentive for participation. Specific aims are: 1) Develop an affordable and culturally sensitive meal-planning and
grocery delivery intervention for Latino households. 2) Determine the impact of food prescriptions and grocery
delivery on parental obesity, diet quality and chronic disease risk. 3) Determine the impact of food prescriptions
and grocery delivery on child obesity, diet quality and chronic disease risk. In a cross-center aim, data from this
Project will be combined with Projects 1 and 2 to examine: 1) The multi-level determinants of chronic disease
risk in Lati...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10494271
- **Project number:** 5P50MD017344-02
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Deborah A Cohen
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $749,474
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-24 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10494271

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10494271, Food Prescriptions to Promote Affordable Diets that Meet RDAs Among Multi-Generational Latino Households (5P50MD017344-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10494271. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*