Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesRandomised controlled trial
An Indigenous Food Is Medicine Intervention
- pragmatic, open-label randomized clinical trial
- 2 Indian Health Service sites in rural Navajo Nation
- 1:1 randomization
Authors' conclusion
In this randomized clinical trial, an Indigenous Food is Medicine intervention reduced the incidence of hospitalization and emergency department visits among patients with heart failure. Community-based interventions that leverage protective assets of Native communities are needed to advance Indigenous health.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with heart failure receiving care at the study sites with a hospitalization or emergency department visit during the last 12 monthsrandomized
- Participants
- 206 adults
- Comparison
- culturally and medically tailored meal program or usual dietary advice
- Primary endpoint
- proportion of patients with an all-cause hospitalization or emergency department visit
- Follow-up
- Within 90 days
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Relative risk
0.72
95% CI 0.54–0.96
P = 0.02
Events by treatment group
intervention arm vs usual dietary advice
relative risk 0.72 (95% CI 0.54–0.96); P = 0.02
Secondary outcomes
Hospitalizations
Heart failure hospitalizations
Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score, food security, financial strain, weight, blood pressure
- Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score and food security measures had significantly greater increases in the intervention arm
- financial strain, weight, and blood pressure significantly decreased in the intervention arm
Original publication
An Indigenous Food Is Medicine Intervention. JAMA Intern Med. Published 1 September 2026. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.2879
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it