Identifying Food Insecurity in Health Care Settings: A Systematic Scoping Review of the Evidence

This systematic scoping review explores evidence on food insecurity (FI) screening measures, acceptability, and program implementation in health care settings. Validation studies on brief screening tools suggest that instruments exist that adequately measure the construct of FI. Patients and clinicians found FI screening acceptable in a range of clinical settings, though studies are not high quality and rarely reflect substantial patient diversity. Targeted interventions successfully increased screening rates and reduced screening barriers. More research is needed to understand implementation and effectiveness of FI screening in diverse populations to ensure that evolving practices in this area do not widen health inequities.