Assessment of Food Insecurity in Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's Emergency Department.

IMPORTANCE

Food insecurity is associated with adverse health outcomes and the emergency department may be an ideal location to identify food insecure children and families.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of food insecurity in families with children that present to an urban pediatric emergency department (ED) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

DESIGN

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of caregivers of children 0-18 years between June and August, 2013. The questionnaire included 2 validated statements about food insecurity and demographic and community resource questions. Participant rooms were approached during predefined shifts in an order determined by random number generation.

OUTCOMES

The primary outcome was the prevalence of caregivers who identified as food insecure. A secondary outcome was the percentage of food insecure caregivers who accessed community resources.

RESULTS

We enrolled 309 caregivers; 141 (45.6%) reported food insecurity. Nearly 60% (56.8%) of nonwhite caregivers were food insecure compared to 27.4% of non-Hispanic white caregivers (P < 0.0001). Among caregivers who identified as food insecure, 82% reported using at least 1 community resource for food.

CONCLUSIONS

Almost half of caregivers presenting to the ED reported food insecurity. The ED is an excellent location for targeted intervention to identify and link food insecure families with community resources.