Food Insecurity and Cost-Related Medication Underuse Among Nonelderly Adults in a Nationally Representative Sample

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

• Food insecurity is a significant public health issue affecting nonelderly adults.
• Cost-related medication underuse poses a substantial risk to patient health and treatment adherence.
• Understanding the interplay between food insecurity and medication access is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if nonelderly adults in food-insecure households are more likely to underuse medications due to cost compared to food-secure adults.
• To examine how factors like gender, chronic disease, and health insurance status modify the relationship between food insecurity and medication underuse.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 2011-2012 National Health Interview Survey data (n=67,539).
• Utilized chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression with interaction terms to assess associations.
• Investigated dose-response relationships and conditional effects of demographic and health-related factors.

Main Results:

• A significant dose-response relationship exists between the severity of food insecurity and the likelihood of cost-related medication underuse (P < .001).
• The association between food insecurity and medication underuse was conditional on health insurance status.
• Factors such as being female, low income, lacking adequate health insurance, and having chronic conditions were linked to increased medication underuse.

Conclusions:

• Food insecurity is a valuable risk factor for identifying individuals experiencing cost-related medication underuse.
• Screening for food insecurity can help identify those needing assistance with medication costs.
• Addressing food insecurity can improve medication adherence and health outcomes for vulnerable populations.