Food Insecurity and MASLD: A Fruit and Vegetable Intervention Study

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Other
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

This proposal addresses a critical gap in the understanding of the impact of household food insecurity (FI) on pediatric metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) severity. Evidence from adult studies links household FI to MASLD and liver fibrosis, and prior research of the PI has shown that exposure to household FI in early childhood was associated with a nearly fourfold increased odds of pediatric MASLD in middle childhood. Possible mechanisms linking household FI to pediatric MASLD include lower intake of fruits and vegetables, higher intake of caloric dense nutrient-poor foods (e.g., sugar-sweetened beverages), and less diversity of foods. Given consensus recommendations for the management of MASLD focus on lifestyle modification, i.e., diet and exercise to achieve weight loss, this proposal seeks to assess whether a clinic-based fruit/vegetable voucher intervention program (EatSF) could potentially improve clinical outcomes for children/adolescents with MASLD and household FI. Study participants include children/adolescents with household FI and MASLD who are receiving care at UCSF's liver clinic and Weight Management for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Clinic, a pediatric subspecialty clinic. The study seeks to identify barriers and facilitators to fruit/vegetable voucher redemption, and assess changes in dietary intake, MASLD severity, and other cardiometabolic health factors in children participating in the pilot intervention. Study findings will form the basis of an R01 application to conduct a fully powered randomized controlled trial of the intervention.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 6
Maximum Age: 17
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• The study population for all study aims consists of children and adolescents receiving care at the liver and WATCH clinics.

• family living in California;

• a parent/guardian who speaks Spanish or English,

• child is between the ages of 6 to \<18 years;

• child has elevated BMI greater than or equal to 85% for age and sex

• child has ALT value greater than 26 for boys and 22 for girls on two occasions within the last year; OR one elevated ALT value and imaging confirming steatosis

• family does not intend to move out of California for the next year;

• family is not already receiving EatSF Fruit and Vegetable Vouchers;

• family is not participating in any other dietary education programs besides that offered by the liver/ WATCH clinics

Locations
United States
California
University of California, San Francisco
RECRUITING
San Francisco
Contact Information
Primary
Milagro Escobar
milagro.escobar@ucsf.edu
4155197863
Backup
Sarah L Maxwell, MD
sarah.maxwell@ucsf.edu
4155197863
Time Frame
Start Date: 2025-07-30
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-08
Participants
Target number of participants: 48
Treatments
Experimental: Children with MASLD and food insecurity
This group will receive $80 of fruit/vegetable vouchers per month x 6 months; parents/ guardians will participate in a semi-structured interview at the end of the study
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Collaborators: American Gastroenterological Association, University of California, San Francisco Population Health Health Equity Award
Leads: University of California, San Francisco

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov