{"pk":40006,"title":"Feasibility of an Emergency Department-based Food Insecurity Screening and Referral Program","subtitle":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction:</strong> Food insecurity (FI) remains a pervasive issue in the United States, affecting over 12.8% of households. Marginalized populations, particularly those in urban areas, are disproportionately impacted. The emergency department (ED) holds potential as a vital outreach hub, given its diverse patient population and extensive service coverage. In this study we explore the feasibility of implementing an ED-based FI screening and referral program at an urban, academic teaching hospital. We aimed to assess the prevalence of FI among ED patients and evaluate the feasibility of a three- and six-week follow-up to assess patients’ FI and related barriers to resource referral utilization.</p>\n<p><strong>Methods:</strong> This single-center, observational study was conducted at an urban, academic ED from 2018-2024. Initial FI screening was performed using a validated two-question survey adapted from the Hunger Vital Sign screening tool. Participants who screened positive were enrolled and completed the 10-item US Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security survey, received a food assistance guide, and were followed up at three- and six-week intervals to assess changes in FI status.</p>\n<p><strong>Results:</strong> Among 6,339 participants, 1,069 (16.9%) experienced FI, with the highest rates among Black non-Hispanic (24.7%) and Spanish-speaking participants (28.7%). Of the 1,069 participants who screened positive for FI, 630 (59.0%) were enrolled in the study. Of the enrolled participants, 161 (25.6%) completed the three-week follow-up phone calls, and 48 (7.6%) completed the six-week follow-up. The mean FI score for these 48 participants decreased from 6.67 (SD 2.68) at enrollment to 4.75 (SD 2.85) at the three-week follow-up (P &lt; 0.001), and to 4.25 (SD 3.48) by the six-week follow-up (P &lt; 0.001). Barriers to using the food resource guide, such as time constraints, transportation, and misplacement of resources, limited many participants’ engagement.</p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> This study demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of an ED-based food insecurity screening and resource referral program, associated with a significant reduction in food insecurity scores among participants. However, barriers such as time constraints, transportation issues, and misplacement of referral materials limited engagement. Addressing these barriers through tailored follow-up and systematic support systems, including universal screening during ED intake and personalized assistance, can enhance the program’s accessibility and impact.</p>","language":"eng","license":{"name":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0","short_name":"CC BY 4.0","text":"Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.\r\n\r\nNo additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0"},"keywords":[{"word":"Food Insecurity"},{"word":"emergency department"},{"word":"social determinants of health"},{"word":"community health"},{"word":"social barriers"}],"section":"Health Equity","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bf9w4kv","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Victor","middle_name":"","last_name":"Cisneros","name_suffix":"","institution":"Eisenhower Health, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rancho Mirage, California","department":""},{"first_name":"Ian","middle_name":"Dennis Capo","last_name":"Olliffe","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of California, Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Irvine, California","department":""},{"first_name":"Marco","middle_name":"Santos","last_name":"Esteban","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of California, Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Irvine, California","department":""},{"first_name":"Joseph","middle_name":"","last_name":"Bui","name_suffix":"","institution":"Eisenhower Health, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rancho Mirage, California","department":""},{"first_name":"Armin","middle_name":"","last_name":"Takallou","name_suffix":"","institution":"Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, Oregon","department":""},{"first_name":"Shahram","middle_name":"","last_name":"Lotfipour","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of California, Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Irvine, California","department":""},{"first_name":"Bharath","middle_name":"","last_name":"Chakravarthy","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of California, Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Irvine, California","department":""}],"date_submitted":"2024-11-26T04:11:56.576000Z","date_accepted":"2025-02-04T22:12:18.854000Z","date_published":"2025-03-15T16:16:00Z","render_galley":null,"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/westjem/article/40006/galley/36375/download/"}]}