# A Mobile Application to Improve Procurement and Distribution of Healthful Foods & Beverages in Low Income Urban Communities

> **NIH NIH R34** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $245,625

## Abstract

The overarching goal of this application is to develop and pilot test a web-based application (app) that will
increase access to healthier foods and beverages in low-income urban communities in the United States.
Small retail food stores are ubiquitous in low-income urban settings throughout the US and present a unique
opportunity to supply surrounding neighborhoods with healthful food options. However, these small stores
usually carry few or no foods that are both healthy and affordable. A primary barrier to stocking healthy,
affordable foods in small urban food stores is the lack of an adequate distribution network; small store owners
generally need to travel on their own to obtain healthy foods and beverages for their stores. Low access to
healthy food and high access to food with low nutritional value have been associated with poor diet quality,
obesity and chronic disease in many studies.
Our research team has worked for more than 16 years in Baltimore to develop, implement, and evaluate
chronic disease prevention programs by improving the food environment in low-income communities. Our
preliminary formative research assessed the initial acceptability of a mobile app that will enable small urban
food store owners to access a range of healthy foods from local wholesalers and producers, and facilitate
affordable delivery to their stores. We found high acceptability for an app that would leverage the collective
purchasing power of digitally-networked small food stores and introduce cost efficiencies into food delivery. For
this NHLBI Clinical Trial Pilot Study (R34), we propose to develop a working web-based Baltimore
Urban food Distribution (BUD) app, pilot the app, and evaluate its feasibility and impact on the
availability, prices and distribution of healthful foods and beverages in East Baltimore, with the following
primary aims: 1) To develop and optimize a technically stable and functional digital strategy to overcome small
retail food system constraints common in low-income urban food settings; 2) To pilot the BUD app with
Baltimore-based producers/wholesalers and corner stores, and assess its feasibility (i.e., acceptability,
operability, perceived sustainability, user satisfaction); and 3) To evaluate the impact of the BUD app on corner
store stocking (availability, timeliness, quality), prices, and sales of healthy and unhealthy foods and beverages
in a pilot study employing a randomized controlled trial design of 38 corner stores. Secondary aims will
examine impact on consumers and a cost-benefit analysis for participating retailers and producers.
Findings will permit us to 1) produce a functional and acceptable web-based app, 2) provide preliminary data
needed for power calculations for the full-scale trial, 3) generate and refine process evaluation instruments and
set standards for implementation, and 4) establish protocols and demonstrate our ability to recruit and retain
large numbers of wholesalers, producers, corner stores and ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9979225
- **Project number:** 1R34HL145368-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Joel Gittelsohn
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $245,625
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9979225

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9979225, A Mobile Application to Improve Procurement and Distribution of Healthful Foods & Beverages in Low Income Urban Communities (1R34HL145368-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9979225. Licensed CC0.

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