Preventive Services for Food Insecurity: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• Food insecurity affects an estimated 12.8% of US households.
• Healthcare settings are potential points for identifying and addressing food insecurity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence on the benefits and harms of screening and interventions for food insecurity in US health care settings.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of randomized clinical trials, nonrandomized intervention studies, and accuracy studies of screening tools.
• Searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central Registry through October 2022, with ongoing surveillance.
• Data extraction and synthesis were performed by two reviewers, with results narratively summarized.

Main Results:

• Brief screening tools demonstrated high sensitivity (>95%) and specificity (>82%) for identifying food insecurity.
• One randomized trial found no difference in food insecurity after screening and usual care.
• Most intervention studies (27 of 29) were rated as poor quality; two fair-quality studies showed potential benefits of medically tailored meals and mobile food banks.

Conclusions:

• Brief screening tools are likely effective for identifying food insecurity in healthcare settings.
• The evidence base for interventions to address food insecurity is limited by a high risk of bias in existing studies.
• Further high-quality research is needed to establish the effectiveness of interventions for food insecurity.