(809) Prevalence of Food Insecurity Between Pediatric Critical Care and Hospital Ward Setting

Introduction: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity (FI) has increased nationally. As a social determinant of health, the rising rate of FI impacts the well-being and health outcomes of children in affected households. Few studies evaluate the prevalence of FI within the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) setting. We seek to describe the prevalence and demographics of FI among patients admitted to the PICU as compared to a general hospital medicine service (HM).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review from January 2023 to January 2024 of all patients admitted at least 24 hours to either the PICU or HM within our tertiary academic pediatric hospital. All patients included had FI screening performed utilizing the Hunger Vital Signs (HVS). Patients were excluded if they were admitted less than 24 hours and/or not appropriately screened for FI. Demographic data along with clinical data (including weight/BMI upon admission and length of stay) to evaluate study aims were collected. Quantitative analysis utilizing appropriate non-parametric testing was performed.

Results: Preliminary data shows a total of 1466 patients met inclusion criteria (n = 342/1466 PICU vs. n = 1125/1466 HM). The prevalence of FI was 9.1% in the PICU (n = 31/342) compared to 6.6% in HM (n = 74/1125). The mean age of both groups was 8 years with no differences in weight and body mass index between FI vs food secure patients in PICU and HM. FI patients in the PICU were majority biologically male (55%, n = 188/342) and largely identified as African American (45%, n = 154/342) or Hispanic (30%, n = 101/342). No differences were found in hospital length of stay for FI patients in the PICU and HM groups compared to food secure patients.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrates an increased prevalence of FI among patients admitted to the PICU vs HM setting, with increased rates seen in African American and Hispanic populations. This data adds to the growing literature on FI prevalence amongst critically ill children. Future studies exploring the impact of chronicity of disease and FI are warranted.