Abstract
Despite recommendations for systematic food insecurity screening in pediatric primary care, feasible interventions in clinical settings are lacking. The goal of this study was to examine reach, feasibility, and retention in Food FARMacia, a pilot clinically based food insecurity intervention among children aged <6 years. We examined electronic health record data to assess reach and performed a prospective, longitudinal study of families in Food FARMacia (May 2019 to January 2020) to examine attendance and retention. We used descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses to assess outcomes. Among 650 pediatric patients, 172 reported household food insecurity and 50 registered for Food FARMacia (child mean age 22 ± 18 months; 88% Hispanic/Latino). Demographic characteristics of Food FARMacia participants were similar to those of the target group. Median attendance rate was 75% (10 sessions) and retention in both the study and program was 68%. Older child age (retention: age 26.7 ± 18.7 months vs. attrition: age 12.1 ± 13.8 months, p = 0.01), Hispanic/Latino ethnicity (retention: 97% vs. attrition: 69%, p < 0.01), and larger household size (retention: 4.5 ± 1.1 vs. attrition: 3.7 ± 1.4, p = 0.04) correlated with retention. A clinically based mobile food pantry pilot program and study reached the target population and were feasible.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilHousehold food insecurity and other social determinants of health (SDoH) are increasingly recognized as playing key upstream roles in etiologies and prevention of obesity and other chronic diseases, in disproportionately burdened populations [1]
The overall goal of this study is to examine the feasibility of Food FARMacia, a novel pilot program using a choice-based mobile food pantry among families with a child aged
Among a cohort of 50 families with a child aged
Summary
Household food insecurity and other social determinants of health (SDoH) are increasingly recognized as playing key upstream roles in etiologies and prevention of obesity and other chronic diseases, in disproportionately burdened populations [1]. The. National Academy of Medicine [2], American College of Physicians [3], American Academy of Pediatrics [4], and others have recommended incorporating screening for household food insecurity into primary care. Despite calls to integrate routine screening of household food insecurity in clinical practice, feasible and effective clinical interventions to address household food insecurity for population health management are limited [5]. Recent evidence shows that households with children have less income for food and are more likely to use emergency food services than those without children since the onset of COVID-19 [6]. Racial/ethnic disparities in access to emergency food services are widening [6].
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