Food ChoiceHOAPNCT07729436
Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) Study
A study testing Behavioral economics-based Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge intervention in people with Food Choice and Implementation Science, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study will evaluate a digital nudge intervention, Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP), in the online food pantries of three large charitable food organizations. The study will use a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, meaning it will evaluate whether the intervention works and how it can best be rolled out… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Food Choice, Implementation Science, Food Insecurity
- What is being tested?
- Behavioral economics-based Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 20 Aug 2026to 31 Mar 2029
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
None listed.
Who cannot join
- 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
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, 60611
Emily Research Study Coordinator, MS, 312-503-4917, emily.romero@northwestern.edu
Jenny Jia, MD, MSc
About this study
Official title: Community-engaged Design and Implementation of a Behavioral Economics Food Choice Intervention in Food Pantries to Improve Cardiovascular Health
This study will evaluate a digital nudge intervention, Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP), in the online food pantries of three large charitable food organizations. The study will use a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, meaning it will evaluate whether the intervention works and how it can best be rolled out in an online food pantry setting. Intervention effectiveness will be evaluated using an interrupted time series analysis to identify changes in how healthy foods ordered by shoppers are (primary outcome) by comparing food ordering data over time before and after HOAP is introduced. The study will also evaluate the possibility of collecting dietary and clinical outcomes in a small subgroup of online pantry shoppers over time comparing both in-person and at-home approaches.
Read the detailed description
This study will pilot and evaluate the Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge intervention that was co-designed by pantry shoppers to encourage healthier food choices in online food pantries. We will evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of HOAP using an interrupted time series (ITS) to determine if HOAP implementation is associated with healthier online pantry orders by shoppers across three community organizations who operate online food pantries. The ITS analysis will compare 6 months of pre-intervention data to 6 months of during-intervention data to assess changes in food selection. The primary outcome is the healthfulness of items ordered by shoppers. In addition, we will qualitatively identify implementation factors that influence intervention success, including facilitators and barriers. We will also assess the feasibility and acceptability of longitudinally collecting diet quality, blood pressure, body composition, and weight data in 30 pantry shoppers comparing in-person and remote approaches to data collection over a 6- to 12-month period. Feasibility outcomes will include data completeness and acceptability of data collection procedures.
- Being tested
- Behavioral economics-based Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge intervention
- Keywords
- Food insecurity, Digital nudges, Diet quality, Blood pressure, Weight, Body composition
- Medical subject headings
- Body Weight
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Behavioral economics-based Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge interventionBehavioural
Intervention will include behavioral digital nudges over a 6-month period to promote healthier food selection among online food pantry shoppers.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| HOAP Intervention Cohort | Experimental | Online pantry shoppers will receive the behavioral digital nudge intervention informed by the Healthy Eating Research guidelines. Nudges include: 1) traffic light labeling of foods as green (choose often), yellow (choose sometimes), or orange (choose rarely) based on levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar, displayed using colored dots and borders; 2) traffic light filters for food items; 3) choice architecture to display healthier items first; 4) a nutrition summary bar to display the number and proportion of items in cart by traffic light color; and 5) opt-out healthy default nudges styled as Healthy Bonus Items. A subgroup of adult shoppers will participate in a feasibility study comparing in-person to remote collection of dietary and clinical outcomes. Subgroup participants will complete ASA24 diet recalls and provide blood pressure, weight, and body composition measurements. Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral economics-based Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge intervention |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Healthfulness of Shopper Food Selection
The primary outcome is change in the healthfulness of shopper food selection over time, measured using the Charitable Food Network Index (CFNI). At each time point, food orders will be categorized into proportions of green, yellow, and orange items based on the Healthy Eating Research (HER) guidelines. These proportions will be combined into a composite CFNI score. CFNI scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating healthier overall food selections.
Measured: 6 months pre-intervention and 6 months post-intervention
Secondary outcomes (4)
Diet quality
Diet quality will be measured through up to two 24-hour dietary recalls using the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24).
Measured: 3-6 months pre-intervention and 3-6 months post-intervention
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure will be measured using an automated blood pressure cuff. Blood pressure will be systolic and diastolic measures in mmHg. At each collection point, three blood pressure measurements will be obtained, and the average of the second and third measurements will be used for analysis.
Measured: 3-6 months pre-intervention and 3-6 months post-intervention
Body Weight
Body weight will be measured in pounds using a medical-grade scale.
Measured: 3-6 months pre-intervention and 3-6 months post-intervention
Body Composition
Body composition measures will include body fat percentage (range: 5-60%), visceral fat level (range: 1-30, lower values indicate lower visceral fat), and skeletal muscle percentage (range: 5-50%).
Measured: 3-6 months pre-intervention and 3-6 months post-intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Jul 2026
- Study start20 Aug 2026
- Primary completion31 Jan 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Mar 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Food ChoiceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Northwestern UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jenny Jia, Northwestern University
- Investigators
- Jenny Jia, MD, MSc, Principal investigator, Northwestern University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07729436
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STU00221030
- Other IDs
- K23HL173655
- Acronym
- HOAP
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 22 Jul 2026
- Last updated
- 4 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: De-identified individual participant data that underlie the results of this study will be shared. De-identified study data will be made available to the research community through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), an open-access data repository.
Publications
Schwartz M, Levi R, Lott M, Arm K, Seligman H. Healthy Eating Research Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System. Healthy Eating Research. Accessed Oct 7, 2021. https://healthyeatingresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/her-food-bank_FINAL.pdf
Gombi-Vaca MF, Xu R, Schwartz M, Battista Hesse M, Martin K, Caspi CE. Validating a Nutrition Ranking System for Food Pantries Using the Healthy Eating Index-2015. Nutrients. 2022 Sep 21;14(19):3899. doi: 10.3390/nu14193899.
PubMed 36235551
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Community-engaged Design and Implementation of a Behavioral Economics Food Choice Intervention in Food Pantries to Improve Cardiovascular Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07729436
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HOAP / STU00221030
- Keywords
- Food insecurity, Digital nudges, Diet quality, Blood pressure, Weight, Body composition
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Study start
- 20 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jan 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Mar 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 27 Jul 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will evaluate a digital nudge intervention, Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP), in the online food pantries of three large charitable food organizations. The study will use a hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, meaning it will evaluate whether the intervention works and how it can best be rolled out in an online food pantry setting. Intervention effectiveness will be evaluated using an interrupted time series analysis to identify changes in how healthy foods ordered by shoppers are (primary outcome) by comparing food ordering data over time before and after HOAP is introduced. The study will also evaluate the possibility of collecting dietary and clinical outcomes in a small subgroup of online pantry shoppers over time comparing both in-person and at-home approaches.
Detailed description
This study will pilot and evaluate the Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge intervention that was co-designed by pantry shoppers to encourage healthier food choices in online food pantries. We will evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of HOAP using an interrupted time series (ITS) to determine if HOAP implementation is associated with healthier online pantry orders by shoppers across three community organizations who operate online food pantries. The ITS analysis will compare 6 months of pre-intervention data to 6 months of during-intervention data to assess changes in food selection. The primary outcome is the healthfulness of items ordered by shoppers. In addition, we will qualitatively identify implementation factors that influence intervention success, including facilitators and barriers. We will also assess the feasibility and acceptability of longitudinally collecting diet quality, blood pressure, body composition, and weight data in 30 pantry shoppers comparing in-person and remote approaches to data collection over a 6- to 12-month period. Feasibility outcomes will include data completeness and acceptability of data collection procedures.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| HOAP Intervention Cohort | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral economics-based Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge interventionOnline pantry shoppers will receive the behavioral digital nudge intervention informed by the Healthy Eating Research guidelines. Nudges include: 1) traffic light labeling of foods as green (choose often), yellow (choose sometimes), or orange (choose rarely) based on levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar, displayed using colored dots and borders; 2) traffic light filters for food items; 3) choice architecture to display healthier items first; 4) a nutrition summary bar to display the number and proportion of items in cart by traffic light color; and 5) opt-out healthy default nudges styled as Healthy Bonus Items. A subgroup of adult shoppers will participate in a feasibility study comparing in-person to remote collection of dietary and clinical outcomes. Subgroup participants will complete ASA24 diet recalls and provide blood pressure, weight, and body composition measurements. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (0 listed)
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- 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
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral economics-based Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge interventionIntervention will include behavioral digital nudges over a 6-month period to promote healthier food selection among online food pantry shoppers. | Behavioural | HOAP Intervention Cohort |
Primary outcome
Change in Healthfulness of Shopper Food Selection
Time frame: 6 months pre-intervention and 6 months post-intervention
The primary outcome is change in the healthfulness of shopper food selection over time, measured using the Charitable Food Network Index (CFNI). At each time point, food orders will be categorized into proportions of green, yellow, and orange items based on the Healthy Eating Research (HER) guidelines. These proportions will be combined into a composite CFNI score. CFNI scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating healthier overall food selections.
4 secondary outcomes
Diet quality
Time frame: 3-6 months pre-intervention and 3-6 months post-intervention
Blood Pressure
Time frame: 3-6 months pre-intervention and 3-6 months post-intervention
Body Weight
Time frame: 3-6 months pre-intervention and 3-6 months post-intervention
Body Composition
Time frame: 3-6 months pre-intervention and 3-6 months post-intervention
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Sep 2026.
- BackgroundSchwartz M, Levi R, Lott M, Arm K, Seligman H. Healthy Eating Research Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System. Healthy Eating Research. Accessed Oct 7, 2021. https://healthyeatingresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/her-food-bank_FINAL.pdf
- Background: PubMed 36235551Gombi-Vaca MF, Xu R, Schwartz M, Battista Hesse M, Martin K, Caspi CE. Validating a Nutrition Ranking System for Food Pantries Using the Healthy Eating Index-2015. Nutrients. 2022 Sep 21;14(19):3899. doi: 10.3390/nu14193899.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. De-identified individual participant data that underlie the results of this study will be shared. De-identified study data will be made available to the research community through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), an open-access data repository.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Jenny Jia, MD, MSc principal investigator
Northwestern University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Behavioral economics-based Healthy Options At Pantries (HOAP) digital nudge intervention in people with Food Choice and Implementation Science, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 0 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Emily Research Study Coordinator, MS (312-503-4917, emily.romero@northwestern.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Healthfulness of Shopper Food Selection (time frame: 6 months pre-intervention and 6 months post-intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07729436, which also lists 2 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Sep 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 26 Oct 2026.