The Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy (CIHRP) at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and the Chickasaw Nation have been recognized by the American Heart Association with the inaugural Health Care by Food Most Impactful Food is Medicine Award.

The award recognizes innovative science that informs the development of food-as-medicine interventions, which integrate fresh and healthy foods to treat, manage and prevent diet-related chronic conditions.

The American Heart Association presented the award to the research team behind the Chickasaw Healthy Eating Environments Research Study (CHEERS), a partnership between CIHRP, the Chickasaw Nation and Washington State University.

“CHEERS was one of three studies under the Native-CHART Study out of Washington State University, with the goal of improving hypertension among Native American and Alaskan Indian communities. It was part of an ongoing effort by the Chickasaw Nation to implement healthy eating strategies in their people,” said Tori Taniguchi, data director and research epidemiologist at CIHRP, and the study’s lead author.

The five-year project began in 2016 and was sponsored by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. It aimed to improve participants’ blood pressure and body mass index (BMI).

The CHEERS research team developed a food box program in collaboration with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. Four tribal communities participated in the randomized pilot study, with two intervention and two control groups.

The intervention groups received weekly DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) food boxes to evaluate if access to healthier foods improved health outcomes.

Although the study was limited to 200 participants due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data showed systolic blood pressure improved in the intervention groups. Trends of improved diet quality and BMI were also observed.

“Our study contributes important new evidence demonstrating how culturally grounded, community-led nutrition interventions can support better blood pressure control and overall cardiometabolic health,” Taniguchi said.

Taniguchi accepted the award on behalf of the CHEERS research team at the American Heart Association’s EPI|Lifestyle Conference in Boston in March.

CIHRP and the rest of the CHEERS team are honored to be the inaugural recipients of the award.

“None of this would be possible without our community partners, and we’re so grateful to them. The Chickasaw Nation has been a wonderful partner, and we’re honored that our collaborative work was recognized,” Taniguchi said.

Although the CHEERS study has concluded, CIHRP continues to partner with the Chickasaw Nation, as well as the Osage Nation, on future food-is-medicine-based research projects to address health disparities in Native American communities.

“If we implement increased access to healthy foods, we can influence positive health outcomes. We hope our findings will lead to further study of how incorporating these foods into health care can improve health and help prevent chronic disease,” Taniguchi said.