Abstract WP231: Nutrition And Food Insecurity Among Stroke Survivors

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Background: Food insecurity (FI) is a social determinant of health (SDOH) that impacts access to adequate quality food, which may result in poor nutrition and increased cardiovascular risk. In chronic disease populations, FI is associated with poor nutrition and higher vascular risk. We sought to investigate FI in stroke survivors (SS) and hypothesized that FI would be associated with inadequate fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. We also evaluated relationships between FI, FV intake, and other clinical and demographic factors. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of SS presenting for an initial visit to the UTHealth Stroke clinic from 1/28/21 to 7/31/21. We included SS who completed a 2-question FI screener (Hunger Vital Sign) and the Block Fruit and Vegetable (FV) Frequency screener. FI and FV scores were determined with standard techniques; FV score was dichotomized (score < 11 indicates inadequate intake - validated). Patient data were self-reported. Chi-squared, fisher’s exact, and t-tests were conducted for univariate analysis (Table). Results: Among 383 potentially eligible SS, we included 285 who completed the FV and FI questionnaires (X age =62; 50% female). Of those, 39 (13.7%) were FI and 149 (52.3%) had inadequate FV. Among demographic and clinical factors, only race/ethnicity was associated with FI. Compared to White SS, Hispanic and Black SS had higher odds of FI (OR 3.62, 95%CI 1.19-11.03 and OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.07- 9.83, respectively). FI was not associated with inadequate FV intake. Inadequate FV intake was not associated with clinical or demographic factors; however, there were trends of better FV intake among currently employed SS and those with more than high school education. Conclusions: We did not find associations between FI and inadequate FV intake. This suggests that there may be other SDOH that contribute to poor dietary intake in this population.