Do Our Patients Have Enough to Eat?: Food Insecurity among Urban Low-income Cancer Patients

Abstract

This study assessed the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among a cohort of underserved oncology patients at New York City cancer clinics. A demographic survey and the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module were administered. A multivariate General Linear Model Analysis of Covariance was used to evaluate predictors of food insecurity. 404 completed the surveys. 18% had very low, 38% low, 17% marginal, and 27% high food security. The Analysis of Covariance was statistically significant (F(7, 370) = 19.08; p < 0.0001; R-Square = 0.26). Younger age, Spanish language, poor health care access, and having less money for food since beginning cancer treatment were significantly associated with greater food insecurity. This cohort of underserved cancer patients had rates of food insecurity nearly 5 times that of the state average. More research is needed to better understand the causes and impact of food insecurity among cancer and chronic disease patients.

Incremental Health Care Costs Associated With Food Insecurity and Chronic Conditions Among Older Adults

“…We consulted with experts in food insecurity and chronic conditions to select 9 chronic health conditions for our study. All these conditions were previously identified in the literature as associated with food insecurity or high health care use and costs (13,20–22). The 9 chronic health conditions were hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, emphysema, asthma, cancer, chronic bronchitis, arthritis, and diabetes.…”

Household Food Insecurity Is Associated with Adverse Mental Health Indicators and Lower Quality of Life among Koreans: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012–2013

“…Many studies have reported the associations between food insecurity and unfavorable health outcomes [5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Food insecurity can cause malnutrition due to inadequate nutrient intake [5,6].…”

“…Food insecurity can cause malnutrition due to inadequate nutrient intake [5,6]. In addition, food insecurity is related to various chronic diseases, such as obesity [7], diabetes [8,9], hypertension [8], asthma [10], and cancer [11]. However, most studies have focused on socioeconomically vulnerable groups, such as children or low-income populations [6,7,10,11].…”

Culture and Moral Distress: What's the Connection and Why Does It Matter?

“…Ascribing no-shows to the patient's "culture" does not fix the problem. Professionals who observe access problems for some patient populations should ask: The literature on the social determinants of health includes studies of structural problems affecting health care access or patients' ability to complete needed treatment [13]. Discussing an article from this literature may help clinicians, including medical social workers often responsible for working with patients to resolve access problems, to identify similar problems in their own setting, and, whenever possible, to identify structural solutions, such as more flexible scheduling or investments in care coordination so patients can receive services closer to where they live or work.…”