Delivering a Digital Health Intervention to Improve Food Access and Dietary Quality Among Adults With Hypertension

Feasibility of Delivering a Digital Health Intervention to Improve Food Access and Dietary Quality Among Adults With Hypertension

A total of 65 participants with hypertension and low access to high quality food will be enrolled to test the feasibility of using commercially available grocery delivery services, simultaneous to a robust behavioral intervention, to improve adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern. The behavioral intervention will include skills training, nutrient goal setting, self-monitoring via dietary tracking, personalized text message feedback, and adaptive health coaching. Participants will also receive a membership to Instacart+ and weekly grocery list recommendations from a health coach. The primary outcome will be indicators of feasibility, including acceptability, demand, implementation and practicality and adaption. Change in DASH adherence and blood pressure will also be evaluated. The intervention period for participants will be 4 months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult 18 years of age or older
• Has hypertension, defined as a systolic BP of 130-159 mmHg and/or diastolic BP of 80-99 mmHg, whether or not taking hypertension medication.
• Resides in a census tract defined as low access by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Resides in a zip code serviced by the grocery delivery app
• BMI 18.5 kg/m2+
• Has a smartphone with a data plan
• Willing to receive daily text messages
• Can participate in online videoconference visits
• Can read and write in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participating in another related research study
• Cardiovascular disease event in the last 6 months
• Active cancer
• Recent hospitalization due to psychiatric condition or event
• Pregnancy or planned during the study period
• BMI 37 kg/m2 or higher
• Documented dementia
• On kidney dialysis
• Instructed to eat a low potassium diet
• Planned or recent bariatric surgery