Food for Thought: Food Insecurity Screening in the Emergency Department

NCT ID: NCT03656146

Last Updated: 2023-03-16

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 1818 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2017-05-15
• Study Completion Date: 2018-01-18

Brief Summary

This study compares food insecurity disclosure rates in face-to-face interviews versus electronic formats, and explores caregiver preferences regarding screening modality and location, in a large, urban pediatric emergency department. Half of the participants were screened for food insecurity verbally, face-to-face by a research assistant, and half of the participants were screened electronically by a tablet.

Detailed Description

Children are disproportionately affected by the rise in poverty rates in the United States, and economic hardships can compromise their development, negatively affect their overall health, and adversely affect their abilities to succeed in school and in life. Food insecurity (FI)-the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate or safe foods- while strongly associated with poverty, is an independent predictor of poor health outcomes for children.

The Emergency Department (ED) of academic medical centers often serves as a point of care entry for impoverished and high-risk families. Although there is a growing interest in the healthcare system's ability to address Social Determinants of Health (SDH), little is known about food insecurity in the pediatric ED. Additionally, there are limited data on how to implement FI screening into practice in a way that maximizes elicitation of social need, while assuring patient and family comfort.

Conditions

Hunger; Child Nutrition Disorders

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SCREENING
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Tablet Screening

Food insecurity screening conducted via electronic tablet

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Food Insecurity Screening Tablet

Intervention Type: OTHER

The intervention is the type of screening modality used to identify food insecurity: verbal face-to-face, or tablet-based screening

Verbal Screening

Food insecurity screening conducted via verbal face-to-face interview

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Food Insecurity Screening Verbal

Intervention Type: OTHER

The intervention is the type of screening modality used to identify food insecurity: verbal face-to-face, or tablet-based screening

Interventions

Food Insecurity Screening Tablet

The intervention is the type of screening modality used to identify food insecurity: verbal face-to-face, or tablet-based screening

Intervention Type: OTHER

Food Insecurity Screening Verbal

The intervention is the type of screening modality used to identify food insecurity: verbal face-to-face, or tablet-based screening

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• English speaking
• Adult caregiver accompanying pediatric patient in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) emergency department

Exclusion Criteria

• Patient (child) in critical condition
• Patient (child) >18 years of age
• Previously enrolled in study

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Pennsylvania

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

17-013696

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id