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Can free meals and groceries keep kids out of the hospital?

NCT ID NCT06946355

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing whether giving low-income families meals during a child's hospital stay and groceries after discharge reduces hunger and repeat hospital visits. The trial enrolls families of patients under 21 with Medicaid or no insurance. Some hospital units offer meal cards and post-discharge food support, while others provide standard care. Families complete a survey 14 days after discharge to measure food security and health care use.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Food support: meals during hospitalization and grocery gift cards plus frozen meals at discharge
What this could lead to
If it works, hospitals could routinely offer meals and groceries to low-income families, which may reduce hunger and repeat hospital visits.
What could go wrong
This is a large but non-blinded trial, so results may reflect differences between hospital units rather than the food support itself. Providing food may not change readmission rates if other factors drive them.

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

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

About 9,119 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

May 2025

Expected to finish

Dec 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

Up to 21 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show 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.

Inclusion Criteria: * All families of patients less than 21 years of age with Medicaid insurance or uninsured will be eligible Exclusion Criteria: * Patients admitted for end-of-life care, patients who will be discharged to a location other than home, patients who live independently, and patients in county custody.

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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.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229, United States

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