Characterizing the ‘real-world’ implementation of food security screening in healthcare settings (Nikolaus KL2)

Status: Ended

Screening for food insecurity in clinical settings is recommended, but implementation varies widely. Our study evaluated how screening for food insecurity and other social risks varied between telehealth versus in-person encounters during the COVID-19 pandemic, and changes in screening before versus after widespread COVID-19 vaccine availability. This project included an analysis of cross-sectional electronic health record (EHR) and ancillary clinic data from a national network of 400+ community health centers with a shared EHR. Food insecurity screening was characterized in a sample of 275,465 first encounters for routine primary care at any network clinic during March 11, 2020-December 31, 2021. An adjusted multivariate multi-level probit model estimated screening prevalence based on encounter mode (in-person versus telehealth) and time period (initial pandemic versus after vaccine availability), in a random subsample of 11,000 encounters.

Heath Research Initiatives

• Rural Health
• Urban Health

Focus Areas

• Food security