Ruest Stephanie, Nguyen Lana, Corcoran Celeste, Duffy Susan
Hasbro Children's Hospital, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Warren Alpert Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island.
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
West J Emerg Med. 2025 Jan;26(1):120-128. doi: 10.5811/westjem.19488.
The emergency department (ED) is a safety net, caring for families who lack adequate access to food and other basic needs. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic rise in food insecurity (FI) nationally; however, little is known about the prevalence of FI among families seen in pediatric EDs (PED). In this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of FI, as well as awareness and utilization of supplemental food services, among families seen in an urban PED during the COVID-19 pandemic using an electronic screening survey.
This was a cross-sectional survey of families screened for FI in an urban PED. An electronic survey was advertised to all families via posters placed in patient rooms and other locations in the PED between February-October 2022. Surveys in English and Spanish were accessed on personal electronic devices via QR codes. Six validated US Department of Agriculture household food security questions and sociodemographic questions were included. We calculated respondents' food security and performed descriptive and bivariate analyses of patient sociodemographics and responses to FI questions.
Of 42,697 PED visits, 612 surveys were completed and analyzed (1.4%). Nearly 50% of respondents identified as White and non-Hispanic, with approximately 80% female. Thirty percent had a household income of <$25,000 and 32% between $25,000-<50,000. Among survey respondents, 56.7% demonstrated FI: 25% with low food security, and 31.7% with very low food security. We identified statistically significant differences in awareness and use of supplemental food services by FI status, household income, and primary language spoken.
Nearly 60% of survey participants in an urban pediatric ED during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced food insecurity, substantially higher than previous reports. These results support the ED's contributory role in FI screening, particularly during times of a public health crisis, and highlights the need for targeted outreach in this setting.
急诊科是一个安全保障机构，为那些无法充分获取食物和其他基本需求的家庭提供关怀。新冠疫情导致全国范围内粮食不安全状况急剧上升；然而，对于儿科急诊科（PED）就诊家庭中粮食不安全的普遍程度知之甚少。在本研究中，我们旨在通过电子筛查调查确定新冠疫情期间城市儿科急诊科就诊家庭中粮食不安全的普遍程度，以及对补充食品服务的认知和利用情况。
这是一项对城市儿科急诊科接受粮食不安全筛查的家庭进行的横断面调查。2022年2月至10月期间，通过在儿科急诊科病房和其他地点张贴海报，向所有家庭宣传电子调查。通过二维码，可在个人电子设备上获取英文和西班牙文的调查问卷。问卷包含六个经过验证的美国农业部家庭食品安全问题和社会人口统计学问题。我们计算了受访者的食品安全状况，并对患者的社会人口统计学特征以及对粮食不安全问题的回答进行了描述性和双变量分析。
在42697次儿科急诊科就诊中，完成并分析了612份调查问卷（1.4%）。近50%的受访者为非西班牙裔白人，约80%为女性。30%的家庭收入低于25000美元，32%的家庭收入在25000美元至50000美元之间。在调查受访者中，56.7%存在粮食不安全问题：25%为粮食安全状况较低，31.7%为粮食安全状况极低。我们发现，根据粮食不安全状况、家庭收入和主要语言，在补充食品服务的认知和使用方面存在统计学上的显著差异。
在新冠疫情期间，城市儿科急诊科近60%的调查参与者经历了粮食不安全状况，大大高于先前的报告。这些结果支持了急诊科在粮食不安全筛查中的重要作用，尤其是在公共卫生危机时期，并凸显了在此背景下进行有针对性外展服务的必要性。
