Impact of Caregiver Food Insecurity on Child Hospital Outcomes

Food insecurity, the lack of access to nutritious and safe food due to financial constraints, is a widespread issue affecting approximately 10.2% of households in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. This figure rises even higher for families with children at home, reaching up to 12.5%. This alarming problem has been associated with poor health outcomes and an increased reliance on healthcare services. 
 
A recent study conducted by researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides new insights into this serious issue. The research found that caregivers experiencing food insecurity during their child's hospital stay not only faced longer hospital admissions but also had significantly increased odds of readmission. 
 
The results were published online in JAMA Pediatrics and shed light on an area often overlooked—how caregivers's inpatient food insecurity impacts hospital outcomes for children. 
 
Lead author Dr. Leila H. DeWitt, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, noted that while it was well-known that a child's hospitalization could create financial and social stressors for caregivers, little information existed about how these factors could influence patient care or outcomes. 
 
To gather data for their study, researchers surveyed caregivers during 9,325 separate hospital encounters between May 2022 and December 2023 at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Brenner Children’s Hospital. Caregivers were asked if they had eaten less than required or skipped meals due to financial issues during their child’s admission period. Those who responded affirmatively were identified as having experienced “inpatient food insecurity." They were then provided with meals throughout their child's admission period. 
 
In addition to screening for inpatient food security status, participants' household food security status was also assessed using a widely-used two-question tool known as ‘the Hunger Vital Sign’. 
 
Results showed that eight percent screened positive for inpatient food insecurity, while six percent screened positive for household food insecurity. Interestingly enough, forty percent (40%) of caregivers who tested positive for inpatient food insecurity did not screen positive for household food insecurity. Furthermore, those with inpatient food insecurity had hospital stays that were on average 2.4 days longer and faced a readmission rate 1.8 times higher within thirty days. 
 
These findings underscore the necessity to specifically screen for inpatient food insecurity among caregivers during their child's hospitalization period. 
 
"Identifying caregivers who need additional support will improve health and reduce disparities in hospital outcomes," DeWitt stated. 
 
The study was made possible through funding from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health grant UL1TR001420, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grant K23HD099249. 
  
This research adds another dimension to understanding how social determinants such as food security can impact healthcare outcomes, highlighting potential areas where interventions could be implemented to tackle these issues effectively.