Project Grant R01DK145897

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded The Washington University $663,077 on September 1, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to develop and test implementation strategies for scaling the HEALTH (Healthy Eating and Active Living Taught at Home) obesity prevention intervention across Parents as Teachers (PAT) affiliates nationwide.

The project uses implementation science, participatory systems science modeling, and adaptive strategy methods to refine and evaluate implementation strategy bundles designed to promote HEALTH adoption, implementation, and reach among PAT's network of parent educators. The study employs a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial design involving 627 PAT affiliates and aims to characterize the mechanisms supporting system-wide implementation of the intervention, which targets obesity prevention and healthy weight management among young adult women and mothers of young children. PAT, an evidence-based national home visiting organization, reaches 73,283 families through 4,300 parent educators across 920 affiliates and has committed to delivering HEALTH at scale, providing the infrastructure for this implementation research.

Performance occurs at The Washington University in University City, Missouri, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through May 31, 2030. The award is classified as a Project Grant, an assistance type supporting extramural biomedical research that improves prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes, digestive, and kidney diseases.