Screening for Food Insecurity in Pediatric Primary Care: A Clinic's Positive Implementation Experiences

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Primary Care
• Public Health Nutrition
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Food insecurity (FI) is a significant public health issue affecting children's health and development.
• Pediatric primary care settings offer a crucial opportunity to identify and address FI.
• Existing screening and intervention strategies for FI in pediatrics require evaluation for clinical acceptability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the acceptability of a systematic food insecurity (FI) screening and intervention program within pediatric primary care.
• To determine the feasibility of integrating FI screening into routine well-child visits.
• To gather data that can inform the broader implementation of FI interventions in pediatric healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Implemented systematic food insecurity (FI) screening during standard pediatric health supervision visits.
• Utilized a defined intervention protocol for families identified as food insecure.
• Collected data on program acceptability from healthcare providers and potentially patients/families (details not specified in abstract).

Main Results:

• The screening and intervention program demonstrated positive results regarding acceptability.
• Routine FI screening during health supervision visits was feasible.
• The findings support the integration of FI screening into clinical practice.

Conclusions:

• A systematic food insecurity (FI) screening and intervention program is acceptable in pediatric primary care.
• Routine FI screening can be successfully implemented during well-child visits.
• This approach can help address food insecurity among pediatric patients in clinical settings.