Kroger store at University Plaza on Jefferson Avenue.
The University of Cincinnati (UC), UC Health, Cincinnati Childrens and Krogerannounceda partnership last week to conduct a first-of-its kind study to improve health outcomes through retail-based dietary interventions.
The clinical trial titled Supermarket and Web-based Intervention Targeting Nutrition(SuperWIN) found shoppers given in-aisle nutrition education and shopping practice showed improved adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
The DASH diet has been well researched and shown to help lower blood pressure and modify lipids and to help with weight loss if its calorically controlled in adults, said Dr. Sarah Couch, who designed the dietary portion of SuperWIN. We know it works but getting people to change their diet to comply and keep following this dietary pattern long term has really been a challenge nationally.
The study is the latest evidence showing that retailers, like Kroger, can support the health and well-being of shoppers by leveraging food and nutrition education, said the announcement.
SuperWIN is probably the most scientifically rigorous study of a comprehensive health care intervention ever conducted with the retail industry, said Dr. Dylan Steen, the studys lead author.
The trial, which dates back to 2019, studied UC Health patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor obesity, hypertension or hypercholesterolemia. They completed a medical nutrition therapy visit with a Kroger Health dietitian, according to the announcement.
Next, participants were provided a new Kroger loyalty card and randomized into three separate groups control, which received no further education, and strategies one and two, both of which received six additional in-store, personalized food product-directed education visits.
The participants were taught to shop better, right in the aisles of their home stores, based off each individuals unique tastes and needs, said Steen.
On average, participants in both Strategies one and two had a greater increase in their adherence to a DASH diet than the control group, according to the study. The trial also showed that strategy two, whose participants were also introduced and trained on new technologies, had an even greater increase in adherence to the diet.
Patients with cardiovascular risk linked to dietary choices face enormous challenges, said Dr. Bernard Lenchitz, vice president of the UC Health Primary Care Network. This landmark study clearly demonstrates that retail-based interventions augment traditional office-based primary care.
Steen added: A transition to value-based care is urgently needed. Retail-based interventions, like those studied in SuperWIN, can be integrated into clinical care provided by primary care clinicians and specialists to support this transition. We already know that consumers want high-quality healthcare with greater convenience, access, and lower costs. If you ask yourself how we, as a society, are going to extend the reach of healthcare beyond hospitals and traditional medical settings, it becomes readily apparent that this is the most promising path forward.
Continued here:
UC and Kroger partner for study, retail dietary interventions in 'first-of-its kind' trial - The News Record
