Patient Perceptions of Family Physicians' Roles in Addressing Food Insecurity.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Food insecurity (FI) significantly impacts patient health outcomes.
• Current screening for FI in primary care settings is limited.
• Understanding patient perspectives on physician involvement in FI care is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine patient comfort levels regarding discussions about food insecurity.
• To assess patient expectations of their primary care provider's role in addressing FI.
• To identify barriers and facilitators for FI screening and support in family medicine.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to adult patients at family medicine clinics in New Jersey.
• The survey collected data on patient comfort and expectations related to FI discussions.
• Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and probit regression, were used to analyze associations.

Main Results:

• 17.2% of 250 respondents screened positive for food insecurity.
• Very few patients reported prior FI screening (1.2%), discussions (1.2%), or referrals (1.6%).
• A majority of patients expressed comfort discussing FI and identified physician roles in screening (24%) and referrals (37%).

Conclusions:

• Despite high prevalence and patient comfort, FI screening, discussion, and referral rates remain low in primary care.
• Integrating patient expectations into screening protocols can enhance FI identification.
• Addressing patient perspectives is key to improving FI support within family medicine.