(PTFS19-02-24) Advancing Food Security Initiatives: Feasibility of an Emergency Department Food Insecurity Screening Intervention and Patient Outcomes

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of screening for food insecurity in the emergency department and to evaluate the impact of distributing referrals with food assistance resources. The study seeks to explore trends in the prevalence of food insecurity in Orange County across traditional demographics such as age, race, gender, and education level. We hypothesize that implementing a food pantry referral program in the ED will result in significant and consistent behavioral changes, leading to improved food security and better overall health outcomes among patients.

Methods: Subjects must be a patient at the UC Irvine Medical Center Emergency Department, 18 years or older, and be able to understand and communicate in either English or Spanish. Eligible subjects are approached and screened for food insecurity with a 2-item screening tool. If food insecure, subjects are then asked further questions from the U.S. Adult Food Security Survey Module to explore the relationship between demographic factors and barriers to food security. Patients then receive a food assistance and referrals guide that contains existing food assistance programs and a comprehensive list of food pantries in the Orange County area. After enrollment, telephone surveys are scheduled at 3-week and 6-week intervals to assess the impact of food insecurity interventions on improving food accessibility for patients.

Results: 4,363 patients were screened in the emergency department (ED) & 766 individuals screened positive for food insecurity (17.56%). American Indian, Alaskan, or Hawaiian Native individuals showed the highest prevalence of food insecurity compared to other groups (28.21%), while Black, Non-Hispanic & Hispanic subjects followed closely. There was a statistically significant decrease in the mean food insecurity severity score between the initial assessment and the 3-week follow-up for patients (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Food insecurity remains prevalent & more common in the emergency department than in the general population. Usage of the referral guide shows a substantial decrease in food insecurity, but further research is needed to investigate the barriers to accessing the resources on the referral.

Funding Sources: Funding was received from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at UCI and Abound Food Care.