Food Insecurity Is Common in the Orthopedic Trauma Population at a Rural Academic Trauma Center.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Nutrition Interventions

Background:

• Food insecurity is a growing public health concern.
• Risk factors for food insecurity need identification for targeted interventions.
• Food insecurity has not been previously studied in orthopedic trauma patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of food insecurity in the orthopedic trauma population.
• To identify demographic and socioeconomic risk factors associated with food insecurity in this cohort.
• To establish a baseline for future research on food insecurity in orthopedic trauma.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted with 158 patients undergoing orthopedic trauma surgery.
• The USDA Household Food Insecurity questionnaire assessed food security status (score 0-10).
• Logistic regression and correlation analyses identified risk factors and associations.

Main Results:

• 13.3% of orthopedic trauma patients screened positive for food insecurity.
• Low household income (≤ $15,000) increased odds of food insecurity by 5.7 times.
• Patients who were widowed/single/divorced were 10.2 times more likely to be food insecure.

Conclusions:

• Food insecurity is prevalent in the orthopedic trauma population at a rural academic center.
• Lower income and living alone are significant risk factors for food insecurity in this group.
• Multicenter studies are needed to confirm findings and explore impacts on patient outcomes.