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Acute Health Care Utilization among Food-insecure Children in Primary Care Practices
Insights
This study found that acute health care use patterns do not reliably predict food insecurity (FI) in three-year-olds. Furthermore, food insecurity was not associated with increased subsequent acute health care use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health Nutrition
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Prior research suggests links between child healthcare utilization and food insecurity (FI).
- The relationship between FI and subsequent acute healthcare use requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if child healthcare utilization predicts household FI.
- To determine if FI is associated with increased subsequent acute healthcare use.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 3,335 children screened for FI at 3-year well-child visits.
- Evaluation of acute care use (primary care, ED, hospitalizations) one year before and after FI screening.
Main Results:
- Food-insecure children had fewer prior primary care visits; no differences in ED visits or hospitalizations.
- Child demographics and prior healthcare use did not reliably predict FI.
- No significant differences in subsequent acute care use were observed for children who screened positive for FI.
Conclusions:
- Acute healthcare utilization patterns are not reliable predictors of FI in 3-year-olds.
- FI does not appear to be associated with increased subsequent acute healthcare use in this cohort.
Abstract:
Building on prior research, this study tested two theories: (1) differences in child health care utilization can predict household food insecurity (FI), and (2) FI is associated with subsequent increased acute health care use. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 3,335 children screened for FI at three-year well-child visits in three urban practices, evaluating their acute care use one year before and after FI screening. Prior to screening, food-insecure participants had fewer acute primary care visits, but there were no differences in emergency department visits or hospitalizations. Overall, child demographic characteristics and health care use were no better than chance in predicting household FI. For those who screened positive, there were no differences in subsequent acute care use. This study suggests that the risk of FI among three-year olds cannot be reliably predicted based on acute health care use patterns, and FI may not be associated with subsequent acute health care use.
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