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Food Insecurity Screening of Hospitalized Patients: A Descriptive Analysis
Samantha L Hanna1, Chang L Wu2, Cassi Smola2
1Department of Pediatrics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri.
Insights
Hospital admissions offer a key opportunity to screen for food insecurity (FI). Identifying FI in children helps connect them with vital resources and improve health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health Interventions
- Social Determinants of Health
Background:
- Food insecurity (FI) significantly impacts child health.
- Screening for FI during healthcare encounters can identify at-risk populations.
- Integrating FI screening into hospital admissions is a novel approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe an advocacy initiative for implementing food insecurity (FI) screening during hospital admission.
- To characterize hospitalized patients identified with household FI.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study was conducted at a children's hospital from August 2020 to April 2021.
- The Hunger Vital Sign, a 2-question FI screening tool, was integrated into inpatient admission questionnaires.
- Positive screens prompted social work consultations; chart review analyzed patient characteristics and interventions.
Main Results:
- Out of 7751 admissions, 4777 (61.6%) completed the FI screen.
- 233 patients (4.9%) screened positive for household FI.
- Patients with FI were disproportionately Black and insured by Medicaid; social work provided resources to 56% of those screened positive.
Conclusions:
- Hospitalization presents a critical window for multidisciplinary food insecurity (FI) screening.
- Identifying and addressing FI in hospitalized children is crucial for mitigating negative health impacts.
- This initiative underscores the importance of proactive screening to reduce FI and improve pediatric health outcomes.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study is to describe an advocacy effort to implement a food insecurity (FI) screening during hospital admission and describe characteristics of hospitalized patients with household FI.
Methods:
This is a descriptive study after the implementation of FI screening at a quaternary-care children's hospital in the Southeastern United States between August 2020 and April 2021. The Hunger Vital Sign, a 2-question screening tool for FI, was added to the intake questionnaire performed on inpatient admissions. A positive screen triggered a social work consult to connect patients with resources. Chart review and statistical analyses were performed on patients with household FI.
Results:
There were 7751 hospital admissions during the study period, of which 4777 (61.6%) had an FI screen completed. Among those with a completed screen, 233 patients (4.9%) were positive for household FI. Patients with household FI were more likely to be Black (P <.001) and have Medicaid (P <.001). Social work documented care specific to FI in 125 of the 233 (56%) FI patients, of which 39 (31%) were not enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children Program/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Conclusions:
This initiative highlights hospitalization as an opportunity to screen for FI using a multidisciplinary approach. Our findings underscore the importance of identifying FI with the goal of reducing FI and mitigating the adverse effects of FI on child health outcomes.
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