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Year:: 2024
Contributor:: Kaadan, Amr (Author); Schreiber, Jason (Author); Saal, Karen (Author)
Subject:: social determinants of health; food insecurity; chronic disease; nutrition; FQHC; SDOH; chronic conditions; underserved communities; federally qualified health centers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26300/sf06-z492

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Abstract:: Background: Food insecurity is associated with disproportionately high rates of chronic disease such as diabetes and obesity. Lower income is associated with food insecurity, potentially leading to the consumption of ultra-processed foods linked with adverse health outcomes. The prevalence of food insecurity in Rhode Island is 29%. This project assesses the relationship between food insecurity and chronic medical conditions known to have a dietary component (diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension) in patients at a federally qualified health center and describes solutions to address this issue. Methods: Design: Mixed-methods study with literature review and quantitative analysis. Setting: Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC). Participants: All patients 18 years of age and older seen at PCHC between October 6, 2023 and February 5, 2024 and were screened for social determinants of health (SDoH). Instrument: Data from standardized SDoH screening tools analyzed using Excel. Results: A total of 1,074 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 4.6% indicated food insecurity. Chronic conditions were more prevalent in food-insecure patients compared to non-food-insecure patients: Diabetes (38.3% vs. 33.1%), obesity (29.8% vs. 27.6%), hypertension (53.2% vs. 41.9%), and hyperlipidemia (42.6% vs. 36.5%). Conclusion/Discussion: Food-insecure PCHC patients are more likely to have at least one type of the chronic diseases investigated in comparison to non-food-insecure PCHC patients. It is important to screen all patients for food insecurity, alongside the other SDoH. At PCHC, patients who screen positive are referred to community health workers who connect patients to resources. This dataset had significant limitations. The relatively low prevalence of food insecurity in this sample compared to recent state estimates suggests that some patients have not been screened or are not being captured. This may be the result of recent electronic health record migration to another vendor. These results should be verified with a more recent sample with further analysis if rates remain low.

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Kaadan, Amr, Schreiber, Jason, and Saal, Karen, "Investigating the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Chronic Medical Conditions at an FQHC" (2024). Gateways to Medicine, Health Care, and Research. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.26300/sf06-z492

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Gateways to Medicine, Health Care, and Research

The Gateways Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University provides academically promising, motivated students new pathways to careers in the health sciences. This collection houses scholarly works produced by Master of Science in Medical Sciences (ScM) students …
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Investigating the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Chronic Medical Conditions at an FQHC