Feed first, ask questions later: Alleviating and understanding caregiver food insecurity in an urban children's hospital

J.A. Makelarski, D. Thorngren and S.T. Lindau

American Journal of Public Health, 2015, vol. 105, issue 8, e98-e104

Abstract: Objectives. We estimated the prevalence of caregiver hospital food insecurity (defined as not getting enough to eat during a child's hospitalization), examined associations between food insecurity and barriers to food access, and propose a conceptual framework to inform remedies to this problem. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 200 caregivers of hospitalized children in Chicago, Illinois (June through December 2011). A self-administered questionnaire assessed sociodemographic characteristics, barriers to food, and caregiver hospital food insecurity. Results. Caregiver hospital food insecurity was prevalent (32%). Caregivers who were aged 18 to 34 years, Black or African American, unpartnered, and with less education were more likely to experience hospital food insecurity. Not having enough money to buy food at the hospital, lack of reliable transportation, and lack of knowledge of where to get food at the hospital were associated with hospital food insecurity. The proposed conceptual framework posits a bidirectional relationship between food insecurity and health, emphasizing the interdependencies between caregiver food insecurity and patient outcomes. Conclusions. Strategies are needed to identify and feed caregivers and to eradicate food insecurity in homes of children with serious illness. © 2015, American Public Health Association Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: adolescent; catering service; child; female; hospital; hospital bed capacity; human; Illinois; male; Nutrition Disorders; parent; prevalence; socioeconomics; statistics and numerical data; young adult, Adolescent; Chicago; Child; Female; Food Supply; Hospital Bed Capacity, 100 to 299; Hospitals, Pediatric; Hospitals, Urban; Humans; Male; Nutrition Disorders; Parents; Prevalence; Socioeconomic Factors; Young Adult (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2015.302719_5

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302719

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