Can free meals and groceries keep kids out of the hospital?
NCT ID NCT06946355
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 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.
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.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Food insecurity are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
RECRUITINGCincinnati, Ohio, 45229, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can free weekly produce and cooking classes change health habits?
- Can online grocery shopping and cash incentives help teens eat their way out of diabetes risk?
- Could free, Health-Focused food boxes lift depression?
- Which food prescription works best? a trial aims to find out
- Teaching future doctors to spot ultra-processed foods: a new trial puts education to the test
- A hospital handout may do more than discharge — it could fight hunger at home