NCT05970341

Kidney Health: Eat Well, Live Well

"Kidney Health: Eat Well, Live Well": A Program to Reduce Kidney Injury and Early CKD Progression Through Nutrition & Empathetic Support From a Health Partner

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 330 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Texas at Austin · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This two-arm, parallel randomized trial study will assess the efficacy of a 6-month (26 weeks) community-based program in reducing kidney injury (as Urine Albumin to Creatinine ratio, uACR), cardiovascular risk (as Hemoglobin A1C and blood pressure), mental health (as PHQ-8) and diet quality (as fruits and vegetables intake and Healthy Eating Index) in community-dwelling, low-income adults diagnosed with early chronic kidney disease (stages 2 or 3 and not on kidney replacement therapies) compared to educational materials and usual care alone.

Detailed description

This study tests a community-based program aimed at supporting adults with early-stage chronic kidney disease to change their eating habits to reduce the likelihood of kidney injury progression. The program components were design to reduce barriers to a) eating healthier, kidney-friendly foods through the direct provision of fruits and vegetables, grocery store e-gift cards, kidney-friendly recipes, and food preparation tips; b) learning about kidney disease and the role of healthy eating in slowing its progression through educational materials; and c) social connection through empathetic relational phone calls and SMS texts from a dedicated "Health Partner". Over a period of 6 months (26 weeks), participants randomized to the intervention arm will receive: * kidney-friendly produce (fruits and vegetables) delivered at their preferred location * recipes and tips on food preparation tailored to the produce * grocery store electronic gift cards * educational materials on CKD and disease management * personalized practical and emotional support through a dedicated Health Partner Researchers will see if participation in the program (intervention) reduces markers of kidney injury (Albumin:Creatinin ratio) and cardiovascular disease risk and improves diet (particularly fruits and vegetables intake) and mental health when compared to usual care (control).

Conditions

• Chronic Kidney Diseases

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	1. Welcome package	At the end of the baseline data collection visit at the clinic, the Research Staff will hand the participant a welcome packet that includes: * educational and motivational written materials (about such topics as CKD and healthy eating for early CKD stages) * a collection of recipes featuring kidney-friendly vegetables
BEHAVIORAL	2. Welcome information (phone or text)	Those allocated to the intervention arm will receive a welcome call from the Program Staff to provide further details and expectations about the program (such as delivery details and schedule). Those allocated to the control arm will receive an SMS text that informs them of their arm allocation, what to expect and a phone number to call for questions.
BEHAVIORAL	3. Produce delivery + Recipes customized to produce	* Content: Bags with kidney-friendly produce will include 2 vegetables sufficient for 2 meals for 4 people, 1 type of fruit, and 1 dried fruit. The total cost is estimated at USD 20, excluding delivery, for prices in June 2022. * Delivery: Bags will be delivered to the participant's preferred location (e.g. home or work) and period of the day (e.g., morning, evening). * Recipes: SMS texts will precede each delivery to share an URL to recipes customized to the items being delivered, and to inform of an upcoming produce bag, its content. * Frequency: 1. Weeks 1-2 (2 weeks): No bags delivered. 2. Weeks 3-10 (8 weeks): Delivered weekly, for a total of 8 bags. 3. Weeks 11-18 (8 weeks): Delivered every two weeks, for a total of 4 bags. 4. Weeks 19-26 (8 weeks): No bags delivered.
BEHAVIORAL	4. E-gift cards to a grocery store of choice	Five (5) e-gift cards to a major local grocery retailer chosen by the participant (from 3 options) at the following frequency: 1. Weeks 1-6: No e-gift card. 2. Week 7: One card of USD 30.00 value. 3. Week 11 \& 15: One card of USD 40.00, for a total of USD 80.00. 4. Week 19 \& 23: One card of USD 60.00, for a total of USD 120.00.
BEHAVIORAL	5. Personalized practical & emotional support through a dedicated health partner	* Each participant is assigned a program staff ("dedicated health partner") who call them briefly (15 min or so) over the phone for empathy-based support on the participant's health journey, and practical suggestions for shopping and food preparation. * The Health Partner will share periodically via SMS text a curated list of evidence-based, trustworthy online educational resources. * Health partners are not trained to answer medical or health-related questions and will not provide medical guidance or advice of any kind. For such questions, they will encourage participants to contact the clinic or physician. * Frequency: 1. Weeks 1-2 (2 weeks): No calls. 2. Weeks 3-7 (4 weeks): 2 calls a week, for a total of 8 calls. 3. Weeks 8-26 (18 weeks): 1 call every 2 weeks, for a total of 10. But during weeks 7, 11, and 19, participants will be given the choice to keep at 1x/week or decrease to 1x every 4 weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-12-06
• Primary completion: 2026-05-01
• Completion: 2026-05-01
• First posted: 2023-08-01
• Last updated: 2025-03-26

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: United States