Flynn Mary M, Monteiro Kristina, George Paul, Tunkel Allan R
Miriam Hospital and Brown University, Providence, RI.
Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI.
Fam Med. 2020 Jun;52(7):512-513. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2020.722238.
Food insecurity, defined as the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food and present in 11.1% of the general population, has not been assessed in medical students. Food insecurity is related to adverse outcomes for both health and academics in undergraduate students. Assessing the presence of food insecurity in medical students, a population at high risk for burnout and depression, may allow for intervention in order to improve overall wellness in this population. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of food insecurity in a medical student population and identify potential reasons for any measured food insecurity.
We used a questionnaire that included the US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form. The survey was emailed to all students enrolled at a Northeastern medical school (N=588) to assess food insecurity in the previous 3 months. The questionnaire included potential reasons for food insecurity.
The survey response rate was 22.4%. Food insecurity was present in 11.8% of these respondents. The main reasons selected for food insecurity were not being able to get to the store (33.9%), followed by insufficient funds (30.4%).
Prevalence of food insecurity in medical students may be similar to the general population. While the results of this study represent only one medical school, we believe these results are similar at other medical schools. Interventions to reduce food insecurity in this population are necessary to improve overall student wellness.
粮食不安全被定义为缺乏可靠途径获取足够数量的平价营养食品，在普通人群中的发生率为11.1%，而医学生群体中的粮食不安全情况尚未得到评估。粮食不安全与本科生的健康和学业不良后果相关。评估医学生（这一面临职业倦怠和抑郁高风险的群体）中的粮食不安全状况，可能有助于进行干预，以改善该群体的整体健康状况。本研究的目的是评估医学生群体中粮食不安全的患病率，并确定所测粮食不安全状况的潜在原因。
我们使用了一份包含美国家庭粮食安全调查模块：六项简表的问卷。该调查问卷通过电子邮件发送给一所东北部医学院的所有注册学生（N = 588），以评估前3个月内的粮食不安全情况。问卷包括粮食不安全的潜在原因。
调查回复率为22.4%。这些受访者中有11.8%存在粮食不安全状况。粮食不安全的主要原因是无法前往商店（33.9%），其次是资金不足（30.4%）。
医学生中粮食不安全的患病率可能与普通人群相似。虽然本研究结果仅代表一所医学院，但我们认为其他医学院的情况也类似。有必要采取干预措施来减少该群体中的粮食不安全状况，以改善学生的整体健康状况。
