Rethinking heart health: the role of financial wellness

Kinsey, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, studies the intersection of financial well-being and physical activity in relation to cardiovascular health.

Her research underscores a crucial but often overlooked connection: financial stress is more than a burden; it’s a physiological risk factor for heart disease.

“Financial insecurity isn’t just about money. It’s a stressor that changes behavior and impacts physical health in ways we don’t always consider,” she said.

Kinsey’s study, “An integrated cardiometabolic intervention targeting physical and financial health: A pilot study”, integrates resistance training and financial coaching for participants facing economic hardships. The pilot program examines whether improving financial literacy can lead to better health choices and reduced stress, ultimately lowering cardiovascular risk.

 Food insecurity: a hidden cardiovascular risk

Myers, assistant professor in the Division of Population and Public Health Science at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, focuses on food insecurity as a driver of poor heart health in her project “TARGETing Healthy Weight Loss in the Context of Food Insecurity Pilot and Feasibility Trial“.

Using data from the PROPEL trial—an obesity treatment study—Myers explored whether individuals with food insecurity had worse cardiovascular outcomes than those with consistent access to food. Surprisingly, her baseline analysis found no significant difference between the two groups.

But that doesn’t mean food insecurity isn’t a critical factor. Instead, it suggests that broader health challenges overshadow the differences in food access alone.

“Food insecurity is linked to chronic disease in ways we don’t fully understand yet. It’s not just about nutrition—it’s about the stress, the trade-offs, and the long-term effects on health behavior,” Myers explained.

Her next steps involve using the updated Life’s Essential 8 cardiovascular health model to see if new insights emerge.

Maternal health and the power of food as medicine

Worthington’s work bridges pregnancy, nutrition, and cardiovascular health. She studies how food access during pregnancy influences both maternal and infant health outcomes.

Her pilot study, “Use of home-delivered meals to manage cardiometabolic health during pregnancy among predominantly Black, low-income women in Alabama“, tested a meal delivery intervention for pregnant individuals facing food insecurity. Participants received nutritionally balanced meals, with the goal of reducing stress, improving diet quality, and preventing excessive gestational weight gain—a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

But recruitment proved more challenging than anticipated. Despite offering free, healthy meals, many potential participants declined.

“We assume that free food is an easy sell, but there are barriers we don’t always think about—time, trust, preferences, and the reality of everyday life,” Worthington said.

The qualitative exit interviews, however, revealed a clear impact: Participants reported reduced stress, improved food security, and the discovery of new, healthy foods they previously wouldn’t have tried.