Patient Perspectives: Valuable Food Insecurity Interventions.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Sociology

Background:

• Food insecurity (FI) affects over 12% of US households, presenting challenges in accessing adequate nutrition.
• Patient embarrassment and potential healthcare system strain necessitate understanding FI causes and interventions.
• This project aimed to explore the patient perspective on FI, including its drivers, health impacts, and effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the patient perspective on the contributing factors of food insecurity.
• To understand the perceived health effects of food insecurity on patients.
• To identify helpful interventions for food insecurity from the patient viewpoint.

Main Methods:

• Conducted interviews with 21 patients screened positive for food insecurity within the last 12 months.
• Utilized six open-ended questions and one ranking question to gather data.
• Explored contributors to FI, its effects, and perceptions of clinic intervention effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Lack of income was identified as the primary driver of food insecurity by 85.7% of patients.
• Secondary factors included transportation issues (38.1%), debt (33.3%), and inadequate food assistance (33.3%).
• Reported health effects included challenges with specialized diets and modified eating patterns; however, 28.6% perceived no direct health impact.

Conclusions:

• Frequent screening for food insecurity is perceived as beneficial by patients.
• The most effective interventions combine screening with referrals to community food resources and provision of urgent-need food boxes.