A nudge toward better heart health: can online food pantries steer shoppers to healthier choices?
NCT ID NCT07729436
First seen Jul 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a digital nudge program called Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) can encourage people who use online food pantries to select healthier foods. The goal is to improve diet quality and, ultimately, cardiovascular health. Researchers will track changes in food choices over time and also explore whether collecting health data like blood pressure is feasible in this setting.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a digital nudge intervention called Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) that promotes healthier food choices in online food pantries
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this approach could offer a scalable way to improve diet and cardiovascular health among people facing food insecurity.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage implementation study, so it may not show clear health improvements. The digital nudge may not change long-term eating habits or affect clinical outcomes like blood pressure.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2026
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Eligibility Criteria: * Adults age 18 years or older * Speak English or Spanish * Access to a smartphone * Have ordered from the online food pantry at least half of the available times over the past 6 pantry eligible periods (for example, at least 3 times in the past 6 weeks for online food pantries that allow weekly ordering or at least 3 times in the past 6 months for online food pantries that allow monthly ordering), during the 6-month period prior to implementation of the HOAP program (i.e., months -6 to -1) * Plan to continue ordering from the online food pantry for the next 6 months Exclusion Criteria: * Weigh more than 300 pounds * Have a pacemaker, defibrillator, or other cardiac implant * Plan to move out of metro Chicago in the next 6 months
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Northwestern University
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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