Prevalence Of Food Insecurity And Associated Factors Among Adults Living With Chronic Pain In Quebec, Canada: A...

Food insecurity is the uncertain, insufficient, or inadequate access to, availability of, or utilization of food due to limited financial resources. Research on food insecurity among individuals living with chronic pain is limited.

Describe the prevalence of food insecurity in this population and to identify associated factors.

This cross-sectional study used data from 1549 participants from the CEMPUS Cohort living with chronic pain (Quebec, Canada). Participants completed a phone or online questionnaire in 2024. Food insecurity was assessed using the validated Canadian 10-item adult Household Food Security Survey Module. Multivariable logistic regression identified the associated factors.

Food insecurity was reported by 21.4% of the participants aged 18-24, 28.8% of those aged 25-34, 20.4% of those aged 35-44, 17.1% of those aged 45-54, 9.3% of those aged 55-64, and 4.0% of the adults aged 65 and older; prevalence was similar among females and males. Anxiety (OR: 1.125, 95%CI: 1.051-1.205), depression (OR: 1.081, 95%CI: 1.004-1.164), smoking (OR: 2.098, 95%CI: 1.234-3.566), presence of children in the household (OR: 1.927, 95%CI: 1.114-3.333), and pain duration (1-4 years vs. 3-11 months OR: 2.086, 95%CI: 1.025-4.246) were associated with higher odds of food insecurity. Older age and higher household income were associated with lower odds.

While several factors may be amenable to intervention, the observed associations are not necessarily causal, and some factors cannot be directly modified. Nevertheless, our findings from a Quebec sample emphasize the need to consider food insecurity in equity-oriented chronic pain research and the development of supportive strategies.