New grant will study effectiveness of nutrition interventions for elderly
Poor nutrition is one of the leading contributing factors for a long list of aging-related ailments, such as mental disorders like dementia and also physical problems such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension.
These issues disproportionately affect underserved communities, making nutrition for the elderly a question of health equity.
The Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University is looking to test the effectiveness of culinary interventions to address the problem as part of a new grant secured from Humana.
Lu Qi, director of the Tulane University Obesity Research Center, will be the principal investigator on the study, which will evaluate efforts to improve cardiometabolic and emotional health outcomes among diverse seniors.
“The grant aims to test the effects of community teaching kitchen based culinary interventions as a 'Food is Medicine' solution,” Qi said, noting that the culinary interventions will be carried out at The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine (GCCM).
“Our study will provide evidence supporting community culinary interventions as an effective and equitable solution.”
Research grants totaling over $2 million were awarded to seven different universities as part of an overall commitment from Humana totaling $15.2 million to support emotional health and nutrition programming and research.
Led by diverse researchers, four research teams will investigate the effectiveness of interventions in shaping a healthier approach to nutrition, and three will study the emotional health of seniors and school-aged children.
Grantees span four geographies – Kentucky, Florida, Louisiana and Texas – and include the University of South Florida, the University of Virginia, the University of Kentucky, Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University Indianapolis, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Also of note locally, Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana received $240,000 to continue to deliver nutritious food to seniors, building on $575,000 in previous grants.
“The Humana Foundation is committed to collaborating with partners that make positive impacts,” said Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of the Humana Foundation. “This year, we’re continuing to invest in partnerships with trusted organizations and institutions that are approaching these complex issues with innovative programs and solutions to help drive change and advance health equity.”
