Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2025
Concept Development and Use of an Automated Food Intake and Eating Behavior Assessment Method
Published on: February 19, 2021
Addressing food insecurity in the inpatient setting: Results of a postdischarge pilot study
Megan Smith1, Kerry A Tepe1, Hadley Sauers-Ford1
1Division of Hospital Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Insights
Pediatric hospital interventions effectively addressed food insecurity (FI) for families post-discharge. Grocery gift cards and frozen meals proved feasible, acceptable, and appropriate, reducing short-term FI.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health Nutrition
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Growing interest in screening for food insecurity (FI) during pediatric hospitalization.
- Need for effective interventions to address short-term FI after discharge.
- Caregiver input is crucial for developing relevant interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify interventions for short-term food insecurity (FI) post-pediatric hospital discharge.
- Evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of these interventions.
- Assess the impact of interventions on reducing food insecurity.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative methods used to identify potential interventions.
- Pilot study conducted with caregivers experiencing FI post-discharge.
- Feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness rated by caregivers; FI assessed post-discharge.
Main Results:
- Grocery gift cards and frozen meals prioritized by caregivers.
- 53 caregivers received interventions; grocery gift cards were universally selected.
- High ratings for feasibility (76%), acceptability (90%), and appropriateness (88%) of interventions.
- Significant reduction in reported food insecurity post-discharge (p < .001).
Conclusions:
- Inpatient interventions are feasible, acceptable, and appropriate for addressing food insecurity at pediatric hospital discharge.
- Interventions can effectively mitigate short-term food insecurity during the transition home.
- Further randomized trials are needed to confirm intervention efficacy.
Background And Objectives:
With a growing interest in screening for food insecurity (FI) during pediatric hospitalization, there is a parallel need to develop interventions. With input from caregivers experiencing FI, we sought to identify interventions to assist with short-term FI after discharge and evaluate their feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness.
Methods:
We first employed qualitative methods to identify potential interventions. Next, we conducted a pilot study of selected interventions for families experiencing FI. Seven days postdischarge, caregivers rated the intervention's feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness. We also assessed for ongoing FI. We summarized the median and proportion of "completely agree" responses to feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness questions, and we compared in-hospital and postdischarge FI using McNemar's test.
Results:
In the qualitative stage, 14 caregivers prioritized three interventions: grocery store gift cards, grocery delivery/pick-up, and frozen meals. In the pilot study, 53 caregivers (25% of those screened) endorsed FI during their child's hospitalization and received one or more of the interventions. Every caregiver selected the grocery gift card option; 37 families (69.8%) also received frozen meals. Seven days after discharge, most caregivers rated the intervention as "completely" feasible (76%), acceptable (90%), and appropriate (88%). There was a significant decrease in caregivers who reported FI after discharge compared to during the hospitalization (p < .001).
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of inpatient interventions to address FI, particularly at the time of pediatric hospital discharge and transition home. Randomized trials are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of interventions employed during hospitalization.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Enteral Nutrition II: Nasointestinal and Gastrostomy Feeding
Nasointestinal Feeding
Nasointestinal feeding involves placing a tube...
01:31Discharge Summary Forms
Here's a detailed look at the key components and guidelines for preparing a discharge summary:
01:21Planning Nursing Care I
01:14SBAR II: Application of SBAR
SBAR Report from a Nurse to a Health Care Provider
S: "Hello, Dr. Smith. This is Jane, RN, from the Med Surg unit. I am calling to tell you about Ms. White in Room 210, who is experiencing increased pain and redness at her incision site. Her recent...
01:23Binge Eating Disorders
01:29Appendicitis-II: Diagnostic Studies and Management
Diagnosing Appendicitis
It requires a multifaceted approach, starting with a detailed physical examination to pinpoint the location and nature of the pain and identify any associated symptoms. Laboratory tests play a crucial role. A complete Blood Count (CBC) typically reveals leukocytosis (an increased number of...